


The Jock and The Nerd

by Larry_Darling0124



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom!Harry, Bullying, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Harry is Marcel, I'm Sorry, Louis falls for Marcel, M/M, Separation, They're all the same age, again I suck at tagging, average!Liam, elounor briefly, lol, proposal, rich!Marcel, rich!Niall, rich!louis, rich!zayn, they are not famous, top!Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-22 19:32:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 101,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2519264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larry_Darling0124/pseuds/Larry_Darling0124
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marcel Styles is the school nerd at Bowman High School, straight A’s and wanted by nobody. Louis Tomlinson is the most popular jock, captain of the football team and wanted by girls and boys alike. Louis doesn’t associate with people like Marcel and Marcel doesn’t associate with people like Louis. Marcel would never admit it but he’s got a massive crush on the footie captain. Louis would never dream of falling for the school nerd that he’s bullied since the beginning of the year. Course, life has a funny way of changing things. The Jock and The Nerd… no one would’ve guessed it… but they might just fall in love</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody!! So this is yet another story from my Wattpad (Britt1D4Life) that I completed. I hope everyone that hasn't read it there enjoys it, it was fun to write! :) xx
> 
> **PLEASE DO NOT COPY THIS STORY**

~Marcel’s POV~

I walked down the hall of Bowman High School with my head slightly lowered so I didn’t see the looks people gave me. I knew the looks anyways. Disgusted and humored.

Everyone at Bowman came from rich families except a few, one of the few being one of my best friends, Liam Payne. He came from an average income family. Now, you would think that him being less rich than everyone else would be a reason for them to bully him, but no. Liam was a solid guy; he was built… not too many people dared to mess with him.

I, on the other hand, got bullied constantly. I was the school nerd. I was the top student in my grade (a senior). I wore sweater vests, white collared shirts, and slacks to school along with my glasses. My hair was gelled; nobody had ever seen what it looked like without gel.

Liam had basically been my bodyguard for the past 3 years, but now in our senior year we had only two classes together (our first class and last class of the day) which meant we didn’t see each other often. This left me walking to class by myself… a target for the bullies… a target for Louis and his friends.

Louis Tomlinson was Bowman’s football captain. He was popular and stunning. Yes. You heard me. Louis was stunning. His eyes were ocean blue, his skin was perfectly tan, and his brown hair was always styled whether it was in a quiff or kind of messy. Every girl and gay guy wanted him… heck I think even some of the straight guys wanted him.

Anyways, I had known Louis since the beginning of high school. We never associated with each other. It wasn’t until this year though that he started bullying me, when he became the footie captain. He was the top of the food chain and I was the bottom.

I walked up to my locker and turned the dial, opening it up. I had just pulled out my next set of books when suddenly the locker door was slammed just by a tan hand with a rope tattoo around their wrist and a bird on their arm. I swallowed and turned my head slowly to be greeted by Louis, flanked by his two football buddies Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

“How’s it going nerd?” Louis smirked as the others snickered.

“W-what do you w-want?” I stuttered silently slapping myself because I really need to stop stuttering.

“Just asking how it’s going.” Louis replied removing his hand from my locker.

“F-fine.” I managed hoping they would just go away.

I gripped my books a little tighter to me and with a shaky hand pushed my glasses up. Louis got a evil look in his eyes and glanced at his mates who smirked back.

Suddenly my glasses were ripped off my face, leaving everything a bit blurry. Roars of laughter sounded from the students around me as I tried to reach for them.

“Books Niall!” Louis laughed and I felt a strong force press down on my books making me drop them.

The laughs got louder and I was fighting back tears as I bent down to pick them up.

“Oh Zaynnnn…” I heard Louis say in a sing song voice.

“Yeah Lou?” Zayn replied somewhere behind me.

“Belts make everything easier don’t they?” Louis asked and my eyes went wide… I knew what that meant.

“Of course they do!” Zayn snickered.

I felt a hand grab my belt and yank up hard successfully giving me probably one of the worst wedgies ever in the history of wedgies. Normally it was Niall who would do this and he wasn’t quite as strong as Louis and Zayn. However, Zayn was the strongest of the three and the strength he used made it almost unbearably painful.

“Oi! What the fuck is going on here!?” Liam’s voice rang out above the laughter which immediately died down.

I heard students feet begin to hurry away, none of them wanting to be caught by Liam. I looked up and saw the figures of Louis, Zayn, and Niall running down the hall towards their class, high-fiving each other and laughing.

“Are you okay Marcel?” Liam asked crouching down and gathering my other books.

“M’fine…” I muttered adjusting my pants before sitting back against the lockers. “I can’t see much though. Can you get my spare glasses out of my locker please?”

“Sure.” Liam answered dialing in my combination. “I swear one of these days I’m going to put them in the hospital. Where do they get off thinking its okay to bully you? What did you ever do to them? Just because you’re smart and they’re complete idiots…”

I smiled a little as my best friends ranted. He handed me my other glasses and I slipped them on, the world becoming crystal clear once again.  Just as I stood up I heard feet hurrying up behind me. Turning around I saw my only other friend, Jessica Tybee, rushing towards us.

“Are you okay Marce? I heard some of the other students talking…” Jessica said stopping next to us.

“I’m fine.” I replied adjusting my books in my arms.

Above our heads the bell rang for class and my eyes went wide. I was never late for class!

“I’m sure the teacher will understand if you just tell her.” Liam said as we walked towards our english class that was unfortunately shared with Louis and his friends.

“No. That’ll only make things worse.” I shook my head. That was the last thing I needed. If I told one of the teachers, who never seemed to be around when I was being bullied, Louis would surely bestow upon me a lesson I wouldn’t soon forget.

“You can’t let them get away with this Marce. School has only been in for 3 months!” Jessica sighed looping her arm through mine.

Now, before you get ahead of yourselves… no, I am not interested in Jessica or her in me. In fact, my sexuality is another reason I get bullied. You see… I’m gay and people know it thanks to Louis and his friends. They made sure everyone knew within the third week of the new school year.

“I’ll live. It’s mainly verbal anyways, it’s not like I’m getting beat up.” I said as we approached the classroom, where our teachers’ voice could be heard, class obviously having started.

Before Jessica or Liam could say anything more I opened the door and walked into class, blush creeping up on my cheeks as everyone turned and stared at us.

“Ah, Mr. Styles, Mr. Payne, and Miss. Tybee… how nice of you to join us… take your seats please.” Mrs. Roberts said clearly not intending on marking us tardy.

I glanced around the room and groaned to myself as Liam and Jessica hurried to sit down. All of the seats were now taken except for the one next to Louis. He smirked at me as I walked forward and sat down in the chair next to him.

“Should’ve known you’d have an extra pair of those hideous glasses, nerd.” He whispered lowly.

I ignored him and stared at the front of the classroom, where I normally sat. I longed to be up there or really any other seat that wasn’t next to Louis or his posse.

“Alright class, now that everyone is here… I’d like to say that the seats you are sitting in right now are now your permanent seats. You may not switch with anybody. Every class you will sit in the seat you are in now.” Mrs. Roberts announced and my eyes grew wide with horror.

Beside me I heard Louis snicker before leaning over and whispering darkly, “This class is going to be so much fun now.”

I gulped and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He was now leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed and an evil smirk etched onto his sharp features. Slowly I lowered my head down to the desk and groaned because seriously school had already been in for three months, why did she have to suddenly make our seating arrangement permanent?

I was sitting next to Louis Tomlinson. I was officially screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

~Marcel’s POV~

“Marcel, I am so sorry!” Liam said for the hundredth time since we got out of school yesterday.

It was Saturday now and he and Jessica had come over to study for an upcoming math test. We weren’t in the same class for it, but it was the same test.

“Its fine Liam, really, you don’t have to keep apologizing.” I sighed falling back onto my queen size bed in my large bedroom.

“Yeah, actually, I think he does!” Jessica said glaring over at Liam as she climbed up onto the bed and sat cross legged. “Seriously Liam, what were you thinking? You saw the empty seat by Louis, why didn’t you take it?”

“I didn’t realize it was the only seat left!” Liam pouted positioning himself on the other corner of the bed.

“How could you not see that, there’s never been an extra seat in that class?” Jess asked rolling her eyes.

“I’m sorry! Marcel, I really am sorry. You could always ask Mrs. Roberts to switch us; I’ll sit by the cocky prick.” Liam said looking up at me.

“You know she won’t do that, she said no switching.” I responded pushing myself up to rest against the headboard.

“Yeah, but maybe if you just explained to her about Louis she would let you.” He tried to reason with me.

“No Li… I can’t tell any of the teachers. We’ve been through this.” I groaned reaching out for my math book. “Let’s just study and not talk about it anymore”

Both of them nodded their heads in agreement and picked up their books. We had been studying for two hours when there was a knock at my door before it was opened revealing my mum.

“Marcel darling, oh hello Liam, Jessica.” She greeted with a smile.

“Hi Mrs. Twist.” Liam and Jessica chorused together.

“Did you want something mum?” I asked looking up at her.

“I just wanted to let you know that Robin and I are heading out to dinner, we’ll probably be back late. Please, have your friends go home at a reasonable time dear.” Mum said giving me a kindhearted but stern look. “There’s pasta in the fridge when you’re hungry.”

“Okay, have fun.” I replied giving her a smile.

“Bye. Love you.” She called as she walked out the door.

“Love you too.” I called after her.

I immediately dropped my eyes back to my textbook, hoping the two other people sitting on my bed would just leave the ‘home’ topic alone, but of course they didn’t.

“Things still kind of awkward at home?” Jessica asked quietly.

“Yeah.” I muttered not looking up.

I didn’t want them to know how much my home situation really affected me. I loved my mum, she was great, but since she got remarried we just haven’t been as close as we used to be. I didn’t mind Robin, he was an okay guy and he made my mum happy. I just missed being close to her.

We used to talk all the time… now the majority of our conversations consisted of her telling me there were leftovers in the fridge while they went out to eat or asking occasionally how school was going. If you think for one second that she knows I get bullied you are very wrong. I refused to tell her. I didn’t want her to worry. I could handle it.

Anyways, not long after Robin and mum had married, my older sister, Gemma, moved out and headed off to uni. She too had been close to mum until the marriage, but she quickly found an escape, it being university. Now it was just me, mum, and Robin living in the huge house they had bought just before the wedding.

“It’ll get better Marce.” Jess said patting my knee gently.

“I just wish she’d pay more attention to me. I mean, I know I’m 17 but I miss our talks.” I spoke quietly flipping to the next page in my math book.

“Tell her.” Liam suggested and both Jess and I looked over at him because honestly was telling his answer to everything?

“What? I’m just saying, maybe you should tell her you miss talking to her.” Liam defended himself holding his hands up.

“That might not be such a terrible I did…” Jessica started slowly. “I mean, it can’t hurt right?”

“I guess not, I don’t know. What I do know is that we need to study.” I replied successfully changing the subject.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Monday came around I found myself standing in front of the mirror in my room making sure my hair was styled right. I stood back and examined myself once more before deciding it was as good as it got. I walked downstairs and instead of finding my mum preparing breakfast I found Robin doing it.

“Morning Marcel.” Robin greeted as he flipped the bacon sizzling in the pan.

“Morning.” I replied trying to keep my tone upbeat. “Where’s mum?”

“She had to go into work early. Did you want some breakfast before heading out?” he asked turning to look at me.

“I um… sure.” I answered pulling one of the stools from underneath the large island in the kitchen.

A moment later he set a plate down in front of me with bacon, eggs, and toast. I glanced at my watch and saw it was already 6:25, I needed to hurry up if I was going to be on time for school. Picking up my fork I began eating just as he set a glass of orange juice down for me.

We ate in complete silence. When I finished, I downed the rest of the orange juice in the glass and looked down at my watch once more; 6:40. I picked up my plate and glass and set them in the sink before turning around and grabbing my backpack.

“I’m leaving, thanks for breakfast.” I said picking up my car keys from where I had dropped them on the counter.

“No problem, have a good day Marcel.” Robin replied as I walked out of the room and out the door into our garage.

I opened the door to my black Lexus and climbed in, tossing my backpack into the passenger seat. I cranked the car and pressed the button for the garage door to open up. I drove down our driveway and pulled out onto the road leading out of our neighborhood. Once I was out of the gated neighborhood and I pulled out onto the main road and headed in the direction of Bowman.

When I pulled into the parking lot I looked at the clock and smiled, I still had 10 minutes to collect my books and get to my first class with Jess and Liam, which was music.

As I walked up to the school doors I felt two hands grab my shoulders from behind and spin me around, causing me to come face to face with Louis, Zayn, and Niall.

“Well well, if it isn’t Marcel the nerd.” Louis said in a sarcastic tone.

My shoulders slumped. “What do you want?” I asked trying to keep my voice neutral but he clearly heard the hint of annoyance seeping through.

Students began to rather around for the morning show of ‘Lets Bully Marcel!”

“Oh you know, I was just wondering, how many pairs of these horrid glasses do you own?” Louis asked holding up the pair he had taken Friday.

“Just give them back.” I replied reaching for the glasses which were immediately snatched away out of my reach.

“You can’t have them back just yet Marcy. They’re not fixed yet!” Louis snickered.

“What are you…?” I started as he held the glasses up.

_SNAP!_

“There we go… all fixed.” Louis, Zayn, and Niall all laughed as he handed be my now broken glasses.

“What a loser…” Louis scoffed as they shoved me out of the way and headed inside the building.

With a sigh I put the broken glasses in the front pouch of my backpack and headed inside to my locker. Monday’s were always horrible days… it was like Louis bullied me extra to make up for the weekend. It was going to be a long day.

 

*Louis’ POV*

I walked down the hall with Zayn and Niall flanking me on either side. Guys and girls stared at me as we walked by and I couldn’t help but smirk… as if any of them really had a chance with me, unless I was drunk.

“I wonder what Ms. Brooks is going to assign the yearly project.” Niall pondered out loud as we walked towards our music class, which we of course had with nerdy Marcel and his poor friend Liam.

“I don’t know. Last year it was some kind of group thing, at least that’s what Ed told me.” I said glancing over at my Irish friend.

“I’m cool with that as long as we don’t get stuck with the king of the nerds.” Zayn spoke up making Niall and I laugh.

“He probably can’t even sing. It would be horrible be stuck with him” I snickered stopping at the door to the classroom.

I peeked into the classroom and saw that everyone was pretty much there, including Marcel, how the fuck was that even possible?

“Wanna have a little bit of fun?” I asked smirking at my boys.

They both smirked their agreement and we walked into class. I stopped just inside the door and turned to Niall and Zayn.

Pretending to push up glasses on my nose I began to mimic the way Marcel sometimes stutters when we’re messing with him. Niall caught onto my act and reached out pretending to snatch the invisible glasses from my face.

“J-just g-give t-them b-back!” I whined in a slightly nasally voice that sounded nothing like Marcel.

“You can’t have them back just yet! They’re not fixed!” Zayn said repeating my words from earlier as the class began to laugh.

“W-what a-are y-you…?” I stuttered and Niall pretended to snap the invisible glasses in half.

“There we go… all fixed!” Niall said trying to contain his laughter.

I pretended to take the glasses from him and then dropped dramatically to my knees, releasing a fake sob.

“W-why!?” I cried out. “M-my only love!”

Niall had officially lost it at that point. He was doubled over, roaring with laughter, while Zayn was laughing and leaning up against the wall to support himself. All the students, except Marcel, were cracking up. I stood up from the ground and gave an overdramatic bow and blew kisses out to the class.

Zayn, Niall, and I continued to laugh as we made our way to our seats near the back of the class. As we walked by Marcel I shoved him with my hand roughly.

“Nerd.” I snickered turning to see Niall and Zayn doing the same thing only saying ‘loser’ and ‘pathetic’ as they shoved him.

Almost as soon as we were in our seats, Ms. Brooks walked in and the class fell silent as she called attendance. I looked over at Marcel and saw he was biting his bottom lip and had his eyes squeezed shut… an obvious sign he was trying not to cry.

Honestly… how pathetic. He’s 17… he shouldn’t even consider crying in school, it’s just lame.

“Marcel Styles.” Ms. Brooks called and Marcel raised his hand like everyone else. “Louis Tomlinson.”

I waved at her from my seat then pulled out my music class notebook. This was like the only class I even bothered to pay attention in. My life had always revolved around football and music; they were my escapes, not that people needed to know that. All they needed to know was that I like football and I like music… further information not required… topic closed.

“Alright class, today I will be announcing the year project.” Ms. Brooks began. “This year things will be a little different. There are two parts to your year project. The first part you have 3 months. Each of you will be writing your own song and at the end of the year you will perform it for the class. The second part is a pair’s project. As I’ve discovered, all of you are in the same English class with Mrs. Roberts, therefore this assignment will also count in her class. Your partner will be whoever your desk mate is. You have until the end of the year to complete this and then you will perform your song to the class.”

I groaned because damn I sat next to Marcel in English class. I doubt he has any real talent… I’ve never even seen him mess with the instruments in the classroom. 

I turned my head towards Marcel and glared at him as he stared nervously back at me. I couldn’t help but smirk when I saw him gulp and then drop his head to his desk. I could really mess with him now… and boy was I going to.


	3. Chapter 3

*Marcel’s POV*

I walked into the lunch room and stood in line to get food, casually looking around to see if I could spot Liam or Jessica. Then line moved forward and I picked up one of the navy blue trays. I eyed the lunch choice as I got closer to them, pizza or tuna sandwich. I quickly decided on pizza and wrinkled my nose in disgust at the tuna.

Once all my food was on my tray I snatched a bottle of water and paid for my lunch. Turning around I spotted Liam and Jessica up near the front of the room with their food already. I began walking up towards them when 3 figures moving towards me caught my eye. Glancing in their direction I blanched… Louis, Zayn, and Niall.

“So, nerd, it looks like we’re partners for our pair’s project.” Louis sneered stopping in front of me. “I hope you have at least a tiny bit of talent… I’m not failing because of you dork.”

“I-I…” I stuttered and Louis rolled his eyes.

“I-I” he mimicked while Zayn and Niall laughed.

Louis stepped a little closer and gave me a threatening look, “If I fail because of you, I’ll beat your brains out of your bloody ears. Got it?”

I nodded my head fiercely and began to walk away when I felt a foot hook my ankle. There was no stopping myself from tripping even though I tried. I crashed down onto the hard tile floor, my cheek landing in the sauce of my pizza. The side salad that had been on my plate was now scattered over the floor and the dressing was underneath me from where it had fallen.

“Have a nice fall nerd?” Louis laughed loudly with the rest of the students in the room.

“Tomlinson! I’m going to fuc…” Liam started hurrying over to us but was interrupted by the headmaster walking up.

“What happened here Mr. Tomlinson?” Mr. Cowell asked frowning.

“I don’t know Sir, he tripped.” Louis lied stifling his laughter.

“Are you alright Mr. Styles?” Mr. Cowell questioned as Liam helped me up.

“I-I’m fine S-sir.” I answered accepting a napkin from Jessica to wipe the sauce off of my face.

“Very well, leave the mess; I’ll have the janitor take care of it.” Mr. Cowell sighed and then turned and walked away.

I turned and saw Louis laughing again along with the others nearby. As I was adjusting my glasses, the head cheerleader, Eleanor, came walking up and attached to Louis’ side like a magnet.

“Hey babe.” Louis greeted putting his arm around her waist and taking his attention off of me.

Honestly, I had never been so glad to see the cheerleader in my life. That was saying something because I really couldn’t stand her. She was one of the richest girls at Bowman and she was also one of the snottiest people here.

“Hey.” Eleanor replied giving him a smile. “What happened to the king of the dorks?”

And I officially hate her again.

“Oh, he forgot how to walk.” Louis snickered looking back over at me.

“More like you tripped him.” Liam snapped from where he stood next to Jessica.

“Point being?” Louis asked looking over at him.

Liam started moving forward with clenched fists. I could see a small amount of fear register in Louis’ eyes but it was gone as fast as it came. He pushed Eleanor behind him and squared his shoulders while Zayn and Niall took up their positions on either side of him. I reached out and took hold of Liam’s arm, pulling him back.

“It’s not worth it Li.” I muttered.

Liam sighed but nodded his head. “Touch him again Tomlinson and I’ll hunt you down.”

And with that Liam turned and guided me out of the room with Jessica hurrying behind us.

“How pathetic… he can’t even defend himself.” I heard Eleanor snicker.

I hurried ahead of my friends and ran towards my locker, pulling my Italian dressing covered vest off as I went. Even with the vest removed I could still smell the dressing on my white dress shirt. Could this day get any worse? I just wanted to go home.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The week drug on so slow I didn’t think time was even passing sometimes. It was Thursday and we were in English class. I used to enjoy English class… now… not so much. In fact, I’d rather be anywhere but English class since I have to sit next to Louis.

This week had been horrible. I’m not sure if I had ever been bullied so much in one week. Louis was constantly harassing me when Liam wasn’t around and on some occasions even when he was around. I had endured 5 more painful wedgies from Zayn and 3 less painful ones from Niall. Louis had knocked my books from my hands more times than I could count.

I wasn’t just getting bullied by them now though. No, Eleanor and her clique had decided to join in on the fun… well fun for them anyways. I had been called every name imaginable and to be honest it was really starting to get to me. I always tried to ignore them but with 6 people calling you a ‘loser’, a ‘geek’, a ‘nerd’, and ‘pathetic’… it was hard to ignore. Louis had begun making remarks about my nonexistent love life too… much like he’s doing right now as we wait for class to begin…

Louis was sitting in the chair next to me with Eleanor on his lap whispering… dirty… things into her ear, making her giggle. I should go ahead and say that they aren’t together... I don’t know what they are but they’re not dating.

I rolled my eyes at them and lowered my head into my hands, placing my thumbs over my ears, wishing they would just shut up.

“Aw what’s the matter little nerd? Realizing you’ll be forever alone? That nobody will ever want you?” Louis taunted making Eleanor snicker.

“Don’t feel bad Marcy… it’s just you not them.” Eleanor joined in.

“Poor little Marcy… alone forever… so unwanted… so unloved!” Louis exclaimed dramatically.

The whole class began to laugh and I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment. Of all the days Liam had to be sick and not be able to come to school.

“Oi! Shut it Tomlinson.” Jessica snapped from her seat next to one of Eleanor’s friends, Perrie.

“Watch yourself.” Eleanor hissed sending a glare up to Jessica.

“Oh Marcy! There’s hope… maybe Tybee fancies you!” Louis roared with laughter but then stopped. “Wait… that’s no good… seeing how you like cock!”

If at all possible I turned another 50 shades of red just as Mrs. Roberts walked into the room. The class fell silent as she gave everyone a stern look, completely oblivious to what was going on before she walked in.

“Alright class, as you found out in your music class you’re project in there will count for my class as well. Once you’ve finished the lyrics for your song you will turn them in and I’ll read over them. Your grade will be based on the originality of the song and I would also like each of you to write what the song means to you.” Mrs. Roberts announced.

I heard couple student groan at the extra work being added. I didn’t see what the big deal was; she didn’t even say how long it needed to be. I stared up at the front and listened to Mrs. Roberts tell us what we were doing today, which included doing a worksheet… something so easy everyone should get an A.

I set to work once the teacher sat down at her desk and began grading papers from her other classes. My pencil hadn’t even hit the paper good before I felt Louis nudge me roughly with his elbow. Keeping my pencil poised to write I turned my head slightly.

“W-what?” I asked quietly so the teacher wouldn’t hear.

“We need to start working on that project soon. I want to get it done as quick as possible so I don’t have to spend any more time with your talentless nerd self than I absolutely have to.” Louis whispered pretending to still be doing his worksheet.

“F-fine. We can s-start once we’re f-finished with our i-individual project.” I replied and his head snapped over to me.

“What? Why do we have to finish that?” He asked frowning at me.

“Because I-I don’t w-want to work o-on two.” I answered trying, and failing, to sound more confident than I really was.

“Who the fuck cares what you want?” Louis hissed.

“I’m not working on both right now.” I managed without stuttering which seemed to surprise Louis.

“Then you better get yours done because I’m not waiting forever. It’s not like you have a social life or some shit like that, you only have two friends if you can call them that. You probably are at home alone all the time because your parents are too embarrassed to be seen with you, who wouldn’t be?” Louis said and I closed my eyes.

How did he manage to hit that nail right on the head? I always figured that’s why my mum and Robin never asked me to join them for dinner… they were embarrassed to be seen with me… I couldn’t really blame them.

“Louis… p-please s-stop.” I stuttered glancing over him with a pleading look.

Louis eyebrows drew together as he stared at me but said nothing more, instead turning back to his worksheet. I turned my head away from him, resting it on my left hand, and began filling out my worksheet.

At the end of class I turned in my completed work and hoped I didn’t mess it up. I hadn’t been able to concentrate on it. All I had been able to think about was how Louis was probably right about everything he had said today.

I probably would be forever alone. My parents probably were embarrassed of me. I was unwanted. I was unloved. I was just a nerd that nobody would ever care about.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

**(To Marcel): How was school? Did I miss anything?**

_(To Liam): Typical day got bullied by Louis. We did a worksheet in English and worked on our individual projects in Music. How are you feeling?_

**(To Marcel): Better than I was this morning, but I still have a fever. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there Marce.**

_(To Liam): its fine, you were sick. I’m going to work on my music project some… I’m actually almost done with it. I’ll text you later Li._

**(To Marcel): You would be almost done :) Okay, later!**

I set my phone back down on top of my baby grand piano that sat in our music room. This was my escape from the world. When things get to be too much, this is where I ended up. Mum and Robin rarely came in here.

With a sigh I let my fingers glide over the keys of the expensive piano. Music filled the room as I began to play the song I had written. I had all the music done and most of the lyrics, I just needed a chorus then I would be finished with this part of our yearly project.

I finally finished the lyrics and smiled to myself, feeling accomplished. Setting the lyrics and musical notes on the stand I began to play the entire song, making sure it was absolutely perfect. Just as I finished playing, clapping sounded behind me and I whirled around to see my mum standing there.

“That was beautiful darling!” She praised walking further into the room towards me.

“Thanks. Um, did you want something?” I asked blushing, though I don’t know why, I mean she’s my mum.

“Yes, I wanted to let you know dinner’s ready, Robin grilled steaks.” Mum smiled ruffling my hair.

“Mum!” I grumbled trying to fix what she messed up.

“So, who was the song about?” She asked giving me a questioning look.

“Uh n-no one.” I stuttered and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m your mother Marcel, you can’t lie to me, I always know.” Mum laughed then crossed her arms waiting for an answer.

“Honestly Mum, it’s not about anybody. I just wanted to write a good song!” I explained and she gave up.

“Alright love, well come down for dinner, yeah?” She sighed patting my back then walking towards the door.

I followed her down the long hallway to the stairs that led down to the main floor. As we walked I thought about her question. I was pretty sure the lyrics of my song had nothing to do with anybody… there was nobody for them to be about… right? 


	4. Chapter 4

*Louis’ POV*

It’s been a fucking week since I told that nerd I wanted to get started on our pair’s project for music and have we? NO! No we bloody haven’t!

“I just don’t get it. What’s so bloody hard to understand about I want to get this project done so I don’t have to be around you!?” I ranted to Niall as we climbed out of my dark blue Porsche.

“I know… for a nerd he doesn’t seem to be grasping the concept.” Niall chuckled and I sent him a small glare.

“It’s not funny Nialler… I just want to get this done so I don’t have to be around his pathetic ass.” I whined as we walked up the stairs to the school and were greeted by Zayn.

“Hey lad’s.” Zayn greeted snuffing out his cigarette on the ground.

“Hey Zayn.” Niall replied while I muttered my greeting.

“What’s wrong Tommo? Still not getting nerdy Marcel to start the pair’s project?” Zayn asked clapping me on the back.

“He’s so fucking annoying. I swear we are starting that project this weekend or I’m going to punch his lights out.” I growled pulling the school door open.

The hallway was crowded with students going to their lockers and talking to their friends before class. I scanned the hall looking for the nerd. Just as I caught site of the top of his head Eleanor slinked out of the crowd towards me.

“Hey Lou.” She greeted pressing herself against my side.

“Hey El.” I replied snaking my arm around her waist.

Other girls looked at her with envy as I let her cling to me. I almost laughed because most of the students actually thought Eleanor and I were a ‘thing’ but that was so not the case. Eleanor was the head cheerleader and I was the football captain, it was like people thought we were destined to be together… the reality was that she was an occasional fuck and not one that I actually enjoyed.

“So I was thinking you could come over to mine tonight? My parents are going out of town until Sunday; I have the whole place to myself.” Eleanor stated biting her lip and running a finger across my chest.

“Uh I can’t. I already have plans, sorry babe.” I replied pulling away from her.

“What no kiss?” Eleanor whined snatching hold of my hand.

I sighed heavily and turned back around. Walking back up to her I looped my arms around her waist and dipped her, placing a rough kiss on her lips. I heard whistles and catcalls echo through the hall as her arm snaked around my neck. Pulling her back up, I released her and walked in the direction of Marcel.

I walked up to his still open locker and slammed it shut with my hand making him jump and knock his glasses down his nose. He pushed them back up hastily before looking at me with big nervous eyes.

“Listen here Marcel. We are going to work on that damn pair’s project today after school. I told you I want to get it done.” I growled.

“F-Fine.” Marcel stuttered shifting his books in his arms. “Y-your h-house or m-mine?”

“Do you even have instruments at your house?” I asked crossing my arms.

“Y-yeah.” He answered shifting uncomfortably as students stared at us.

“Yours then. My sisters will be home and they’re a bit of a handful around new people.” I said with fondness in my voice.

I loved my little sisters; they were a big part of my life. They really did get excited when my friends came over, especially Lottie; she seemed to think my friends were all ‘hot’ as she put it.

“O-ok. D-did you want to ride to m-mine in m-my car or j-just f-follow?” Marcel asked nervously.

“I’ll follow you. We’ll meet out front after English class. You better be there.” I growled then shoved past him and headed to our music class.

Niall and Zayn hurried to sit next to me when they walked into the classroom from getting their books.

“Well? Are you guys starting the project?” Niall asked sitting down.

“Yeah, right after school we’re going to his house.” I replied pulling out my notebook.

Zayn chuckled from his seat in front of me, “Wait till Eleanor catches wind of that.”

“OhMyGosh Louis you ditched me for that nerd, how could you baby!” Niall mimicked Eleanor’s high voice and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Niall, you do that too well!” Zayn laughed.

Right at that moment Eleanor entered the room with Perrie and the three of us tried to stop laughing, but failed miserably. My lips were pressed together tightly to try and contain my laughter but it bubbled right out at the same time Zayn’s and Niall’s did. We ducked our heads so it didn’t look like we were laughing at her.

“What’s so funny boys?” Eleanor asked walking back to our desks.

“Nothing El, just Nialler being his usual funny self.” I smiled finally managing to get my laughter under control unlike Niall who was doubled over with a red face.

Eleanor leaned up against my desk and brushed her fingers against my jaw. “Are you sure you can’t come over tonight baby?”

“Positive, I have something to do.” I responded and saw a mischievous glint in Niall’s eyes.

“Hey Lou, what time do you think you’ll be back from Marcel’s tonight?” He asked and Zayn buried his head in his arms, muffling the roar of laughter that escaped him.

 I looked over at him watching out of the corner of my eye as Eleanor’s jaw hit the floor.

“I don’t know Nialler, might be kind of late.” I answered doing my best to keep a straight face.

“YOU’RE GOING TO THAT FREAKS HOUSE!?” Eleanor screeched gaining the attention of everyone in the room, including a beet red Marcel.

“Have too… we have to do our music project. Look babe, I’ll hang out with you Saturday night, yeah? We can do whatever you want.” I replied already regretting those words.

Eleanor gave me a sinful smile and nodded her head, “Okay baby, but don’t bring back any of his nerd disease. I’m so sorry you have to endure being at that pathetic humans house.”

“Me too… just doing what must be done though.” I said patting her hip so she would move away from my desk as Ms. Brooks came in.

She called role and then moved to stand in front of her desk.

“Good morning class, I’ve already received a couple completed individual projects, I’m very proud of the work I’ve seen so far.” Ms. Brooks said reaching behind her and pulling a couple papers off her desk.

She moved forward and walked down the aisle.

“Mr. Styles and Ms. Edwards I approve of your songs.” Ms. Brooks smiled handing Marcel and Perrie their papers back. “Remember class, I must approve of the song you’ve written before you can perform it and get your grade. Now if you would please turn to page 183 in your books…”

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The rest of the day seemed to go by really fast and I wished it would just slow down. As much as I wanted to get this project done, I was not looking forward to going to the nerds’ house. It was probably messy and shabby… I knew most of the students here were rich but I just couldn’t see him being one of the rich kids.

English class was almost over before I even knew it. Mrs. Roberts had given us some reading to do along with a worksheet that had to be turned in Monday. This was really the first time she had given us homework so far this year.

The bell rang above my head and I gathered my books as Marcel hurried out of the classroom. I walked next to Niall and Zayn to my locker and dialed the combination in.

“So, you’re off to nerd boys’ house now?” Zayn asked with a little chuckle.

“Yeah, wish me luck… I just hope the place is clean…” I muttered slamming my locker.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t.” Nialler sniggered as we walked out the doors of the school.

“Please don’t say that.” I whined lightly leaning up against the stair railing.

“Well, good luck mate! Bye!” Zayn said cheerfully clapping me on the back before walking down the steps and off towards his BMW.

“I gotta dash too mate, mum’s expecting me home. Greg’s in town.” Niall said giving me a sympathetic look. “Don’t go nerdy on me!”

“Trust me, no danger of that happening!” I called out waving to him.

A couple minutes later the school doors opened and Marcel walked out with Jessica at his side.

“I’ll see you later Jess.” He said offering her a smile.

“Okay Marcel… I’d say have fun… but with that…” Jessica said gesturing not so subtly to me “I know it’ll be impossible.”

And with that she walked away. I turned to Marcel and stuffed my hands in my pockets.

“Let’s get going. The sooner this is over the better.” I grumbled and turned away.

I heard him following behind me as I walked over to my Porsche and opened the door.

“I uh I’ll j-just g-go get my c-car. B-be right b-back.” Marcel stuttered and hurried off.

I tried to see where he disappeared to but there were still too many cars in the car park to see. I waited by my car for a minute before a brand new black Lexus pulled up behind me. My mouth almost fell open as I stared at the car. He’s richer than I thought knowing the car cost probably double what mine had cost and mine was two years old!

He rolled down his passenger window and ducked his head so he could look at me, “J-just follow m-me.”

I nodded curtly and hopped into my car. I backed out of my space and followed him out onto the main road. As we drove I noticed the sky above had turned dark and a moment later I heard thunder rumble in the distance. Oh God, please don’t let it rain! I hated driving in the rain, it seemed like people were even more careless when they drove in the rain.

After ten minutes of driving I saw Marcel’s blinker come on and he moved into the turn lane that turned into the High Ritz neighborhood; one of the most expensive neighborhoods in town. My mouth fell open some as he stopped at the gate to talk to the guard. Okay, he was way richer than I thought.

I saw him gesture to my car and the guard nodded before opening up the gate and allowing us to drive in, waving to me as I went passed. We drove for another minute before Marcel slowed down and turned up into an inclined driveway lined with Crape Myrtle trees that had watermelon colored flowers.

We reached the top of the drive way and the yard opened up before me. The driveway forked, you could either go straight to the garage or you could go left and drive around the fountain that in front of the large stone home that had two columns lining each side of the large double dark brown doors. I stopped behind Marcel as he pulled in front of one of the 3 garage doors. Two of them began to open and I saw him motion for me to park in the other one.

I hoped out of my car and looked around the huge garage. In the bay next to me there was a white Mercedes Benz – brand new as well from the looks of it.

“F-follow me.” Marcel said climbing out of his car and slinging his backpack over his shoulders.

I followed him silently as he opened the door that led into the house.

“Mum! I’m home.” Marcel called out and my jaw once again almost hit the floor… he didn’t stutter!

We walked into a large kitchen with dark mahogany cabinets and white marble counters.

“Hello darling! How was school? Oh you have a friend with you! Who might you be?” Marcel’s mum asked extending her hand.

“Louis Tomlinson, nice to meet you Mrs. Styles.” I said shaking her hand.

“Oh no darling, it’s Twist, but please call me Anne, Mrs makes me feel so old!” She smiled and if I’m honest I liked her immediately, she was kind of like my own mum.

“Where’s Robin?” Marcel asked picking up a couple grapes that were in a bowl on the island.

“He’s working late love, I was thinking pizza tonight; would that be alright with you boys?” Anne asked leaning against the counter.

“Sounds good mum.” Marcel replied shifting his backpack.

“What kind of pizza do you like dear?” She asked turning to me.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter, whatever is fine.” I answered giving her a small smile.

Next to me, Marcel cleared his throat and turned to look at me. “We should uh get to work on our project.”

“Definitely. It was nice to meet you Anne.” I said looking over at his mum and then followed him out of the kitchen.

He led me down a hall towards the front of the house. We passed by a large dining room, then a living room with a huge plush chocolate brown sofa, than pass what I assumed was an office, and then a half bath. I followed behind him as he walked up the stairs to the second floor.

“D-did you w-want to work on l-lyrics or m-music?” Marcel asked and I frowned… he was stuttering again.

“Lyrics, I always find it easier to write lyrics first.” I said looking around at the pictures on the wall of the hall we were walking down. “Who’s the blonde girl in the pictures?”

“My older sister, Gemma.” Marcel replied stopping in front of a closed door.

I nodded then watched as he opened the closed door. He led me inside and I couldn’t help but gape at what was in the room. Guitars were hung on the wall like in a music store, everything from Gibson’s to Taylor’s. In the center of the room sat a black baby grand piano.

“Holy shit.” I muttered and Marcel turned around.

“W-what?” He asked giving me a confused look.

“All this stuff… it must’ve cost a bloody fortune!” I said walking over to a Gibson guitar the color of deep red wine.

I ran my fingers over it in envy and admiration. I had wanted one of these limited editions since I first saw them a few days ago online but my parents simply wouldn’t spring for the $3,500 guitar. It seemed crazy, they bought be a Porsche but they won’t buy me a guitar?

“Just got that one yesterday.” Marcel commented behind me.

“It’s stunning… it looks even better in person than it did online.” I said running my eyes over the guitar.

“Y-you can p-play it if you w-want.” He stuttered out, “I m-mainly play p-piano, I-I’m sure w-we’ll use a guitar i-in the song as well t-though.”

I swallowed thickly and pulled the precious guitar off its wall hanger. Geez, it even felt expensive.

“Well, let’s get started. I want to get this done.” I said turning to face Marcel with the guitar securely in my hand.

He nodded his head and gestured to the stool near the piano or the beanbags sitting against the wall. I opted for one of the beanbags. After getting comfortable I began strumming on the guitar, enthralled by the beautiful sound it made.

“H-here…” Marcel said holding out a notebook and pencil. “A-any i-ideas or l-lyrics you t-think of, you c-can write in t-this.”

“Right.” I replied taking the notebook and setting it down beside me then looked up to see Marcel taking a seat on the beanbag furthest from me with his own notebook in hand and already scribbling in it.

Finally. I thought continuing with my random strumming. Hopefully it wouldn’t take long to finish this assignment. No matter how nice this stuff might be, I still didn’t want to be around the nerd. I couldn’t wait to be done and to go back to only bullying him instead of having to work with his pathetic self.


	5. Chapter 5

*Marcel’s POV*

Louis and I had been sitting in my music room for 2 hours when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” I called out not lifting my eyes from the notebook I was writing in.

The door opened and revealed my mum.

“The pizza is here boys, come eat.” Mum said standing in the doorway.

“Okay, we’ll be there in a minute.” I replied still not looking away from the notebook.

I heard her sigh and then the door click shut as she left the room. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Louis shutting his notebook and standing up carefully with my new guitar. I looked up through my lashes and watched as he put the guitar back on its hanger and made sure it wasn’t going anywhere. He really liked that guitar, I was surprised he didn’t have one, surely they could afford it.

I stood up closing my notebook and placed it on top of the piano. I had been thinking of lyrics for the past two hours… there was no way I would have been able to play the piano with Louis sitting there… I couldn’t even talk straight when he was around. Honestly, I found it weird myself that I always stuttered around him. What was so different about him? I didn’t stutter around anybody else. Just Louis.

“Marcel, snap out of it you dork!” Louis said snapping his fingers in front of my face and giving me an annoyed look.

“S-sorry. L-Let’s go.” I stuttered… damn Marcel stop doing that!

I walked past him and opened up the door. We walked downstairs and to the kitchen where mum was pulling down 3 paper plates and setting them next to the pizza box on the counter.

“Dig in boys! Louis, there’s Pepsi and water in the fridge, help yourself dear.” Mum said giving Louis a smile then walked over to one of the island bar stools and sat down.

“Thank you.” Louis responded.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely shocked by how different he acted when my mum was around. He was all polite and friendly, the complete opposite of what he was at school… at least to me.

“So, have you two known each other long? I haven’t heard you ever mention him, Marcel.” Mum asked popping open her soda.

“I um I just met Louis this year. We’re in the same music and English class.” I answered picking up a slice of the pepperoni pizza.

“Ah, well it’s nice you’ve made another friend!” Mum said smiling at us both.

Beside me I saw Louis grimace a little and I honestly almost laughed at her comment. Louis and I friends? Oh if you only knew mother…

“Louis and I aren’t friends. We’re doing a pair’s music/English assignment and it just happened that I was sitting next to him the day our seats were made permanent thus making me his partner.” I explained.

“Oh.” Mum replied shortly quirking an eyebrow at us. “Shame…” she muttered and I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Anyways, what do you parents do Louis?” Mum asked changing the subject.

“My stepdad is a surgeon and my mum is a nurse.” Louis replied after swallowing a bite of pizza.

Mum nodded her head and the room fell silent. We ate the rest of our food in silence. Once we threw away our plates I turned to face Louis.

“Did you want to continue working on the project or call it quits for the day?” I asked noticing my mum leaving the room, no doubt heading to her office.

“We can keep working if your mum doesn’t mind me staying longer. I told you, I want to get this done and over with.” Louis replied giving me a sneer.

“F-fine. L-let’s go back u-upstairs.” I stuttered.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

A week later, Louis and I weren’t any closer to being done with our song. I had begun playing with the piano, trying to figure out a tune for the lyrics I had been writing, but things just weren’t coming together. Louis had been over 2 other times since Friday. Monday had to of been the worst day for him to come over. It was like he was making up for lost bullying time over the weekend by calling me every degrading name he could think of.

Our routine Monday and Wednesday had been the same as it was on Friday. Mum greeted us, we headed into my music room, mum ordered pizza, we ate, worked a while longer, and then Louis would leave around 7 or 8 that evening. I knew we needed to tell each other our ideas but neither of us seemed to want to share, another reason we haven’t made much progress.

“Alright class” Ms. Brooks said clapping her hands. “Today, I’ve decided that you’re going to start performing your individual songs since a number of you have completed that project.”

Everyone in the class seemed to be thrilled that for the next 45 minutes all we would have to do is sit and listen to each other’s songs, meaning no homework. I, of course, didn’t mind having homework, but it was nice to have a little less of it.

“So, first off we have Ms. Edwards and she’ll be doing her original song titled ‘Pretend It’s Ok’.” Ms. Brooks announced and Perrie stood up and walked over to the piano in the corner.

The class stayed silent as Perrie’s fingers danced over the keys of the piano. When she finished the song the class broke out in applause. I couldn’t help the small smile making its way onto my face. The song was amazing, the lyrics were perfect, and the music was great. It was quite obvious that the song meant a great deal to Perrie, it had come through in her voice, which of course was perfection, unlike my own. I never considered myself to be a good singer.

“That was lovely Perrie, you most definitely passed! Alright, next we have Mr. Styles.” Ms. Brooks said looking over at me.

All eyes were on me as I stood up and made my way to the piano trying to ignore Louis’ not so subtle comment of ‘anyone got any earplugs’. I sat down on the bench and set my sheet music on the stand. Taking a deep breath I placed my hands and began playing, toning out everything around me and letting myself fall into the music.

**Now you were standing there right in front of me**

**I hold on it’s getting harder to breathe**

**All of a sudden these lights are blinding me**

**I never noticed how bright they could be**

**I saw in the corner there is a photographer**

**No doubt in my mind it’s a picture of you**

**It lies there alone in its bed of broken glass**

**This bed was never made for two**

**I’ll keep my eyes wide open**

**I’ll keep my arms wide open**

**Don’t let me**

**Don’t let me**

**Don’t let me go**

**Cause I’m tired of being alone**

**Don’t let me**

**Don’t let me go**

**Cause I’m tired of feeling alone**

I played the last chords of the song and was startled out of my own world by the applause of the class. I blushed crimson as I came back into reality. All the students were clapping except for Louis, Zayn, Niall, and Eleanor. They simply sat in their chairs completely dumbfounded.

“Thank you Mr. Styles, that was beautiful, you passed.” Ms. Brooks smiled brightly at me. “Alright class, quiet down please, next we have Mr. Horan…”

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

After school I found myself driving to my house with no one following. Louis had football practice after school and had told me Wednesday he would come over after he finished. Today had actually been a relatively good day. After I had done my song in music class Louis hadn’t uttered a single word to me.

I pulled up to the garage door and waited for it to open. Turning of the ignition I grabbed my bag and headed inside, pressing the button for the second bay door to open for when Louis arrive.

“Hey mum.” I greeted walking into the kitchen.

“Hello dear.” She replied then glanced around me. “Louis’ not coming over today?”

“He had football practice, he’ll be here afterwards.” I said opening the fridge and pulling out a Pepsi. “I’m going up to the music room; send him up when he gets here.”

“Alright love.” Mum nodded going back to whatever she was cooking.

I walked up to my bedroom deciding to change before I shut myself in my music room until Louis got here. I pulled off my vest and white button up revealing the swallow tattoos along with an array of other smaller tattoos no one knew I had other than mum, Robin, Gemma, Liam, and Jessica. Walking over to my closest I pulled out a white 3/4 sleeved shirt and a pair of black sweatpants. Slipping them on, I headed to the music room and closed the door behind me. I sat down at my piano and began playing ‘A River Flows in You by Yiruma’, quickly getting lost in the music. My fingers hit the final keys and then I let my hands drop with a sigh.

“I wish I could play like that.” Louis’ voice sounded from behind me.

I whirled around, almost falling off the bench, to see him standing near the door with his hands in his pockets.

“Y-you play?” I asked curiously.

“I try, I’m not very good. Mum plays but she never would sit down and teach me, she’s too busy to anyways.” Louis said walking over to stand next to the bench. “I love playing guitar, but I’ve always liked the sound of the piano… I was always amazed at how people’s hands move over the keys so effortlessly.”

“S-sounds like m-me and the g-guitar.” I chuckled nervously. “R-Robin plays but he’s f-far too busy to t-teach me.”

Louis hummed and sat down on the edge of the bench, “Play another?” he requested.

“I… um… o-okay.” I stuttered and ran through some songs in my head before settling on another Yiruma song called ‘Love Me’.

 

*Third Person POV*

Marcel placed his fingers over the starting keys and began to play the soft tune. Music filled the room and he smiled a little, closing his eyes for a moment and relishing the sound. Louis sat silently on the end of the bench and watched as Marcel’s fingers danced over the keys with ease and grace. He was almost mesmerized watching him play. 

Louis moved so that his legs were under the piano, sitting a little closer to Marcel so he could get a better view. He crossed his arms over his stomach; his blue eyes staring intently at Marcel’s long, slender fingers as they moved. Louis wondered what those fingers felt like… were they soft… were they calloused… would they be gentle. He shook his head, facial features turning into that of disgust… what was he thinking? This was Marcel we were talking about… the school nerd… the biggest loser ever.

 Neither boy noticed the door opening behind them and Anne peaking in fully prepared to tell them dinner was ready. As she peered inside she paused and watched them. She truly loved hearing her son play, it was the one place it seemed he was happy. Anne knew Marcel wasn’t completely happy and she knew that that was partly her fault. It wasn’t that she meant to ignore him or constantly go out with Robin… she just did…

A small smile made its way onto her face as she saw Louis turn his head just a little to look at Marcel. Anne could see the admiration in the boys’ eyes. She wondered why they weren’t friends… or even more. Yes, Anne knew her son was gay and she was fine with that. Honestly, she just wanted somebody to make Marcel happy, she didn’t care whether it was a female or male that made that happen, she just wanted him to be happy. It seemed to her that Louis was a nice young man. He was kind, polite, and undoubtedly handsome. 

Anne knew the song was coming to an end so she quietly closed the door and waited for the music to stop. When it did she raised her hand and knocked before reopening the door. Both boys turned to look at her.

“Dinner’s ready.” Anne smiled, received two nods in reply, and then walked away.

Marcel turned to glance at Louis before standing up and heading towards the door.

“You’re really good.” Louis commented not daring to even glance at Marcel.

“T-Thanks. M-mum taught me e-everything I k-know.” Marcel stuttered out as they walked down the hall towards the stairs.

“I can’t believe I’m asking this… but do you think maybe you could show me some things? I mean like I’ve just always wanted to play…” Louis asked and Marcel stopped walking.

“Y-you want m-me to t-teach you?” He asked in complete disbelief.

“Y-yeah… I mean… y-you don’t have to… I just… like… you’re t-talented and I really want to learn.” Louis stuttered out and damn when did he ever get nervous!?

“S-sure. M-maybe you can t-teach me g-guitar?” Marcel questioned hesitantly.

Were lessons in return too much to ask for? Would Louis refuse because it meant spending more time with him? Marcel just couldn’t help but ask… he had been completely enthralled watching Louis play the red wine colored Gibson every time he had been over.

“I guess I could do that…” Louis replied slowly.

“R-really?” Marcel looked over at him stunned.

“Yeah… but nobody… and I mean  _nobody_ … can know.” Louis replied giving Marcel a threatening look.

“O-okay.” Marcel agreed quickly.

They continued downstairs where Anne was pulling down plates for them. Marcel could hear Robin’s voice coming from the kitchen and without thinking he threw his arm out to stop Louis from proceeding into the kitchen. Louis frowned at him but stayed put.

“I just wonder if it would be best…” Robin’s voice floated out to them.

“I don’t think so…” Anne replied.

“Just think about it? We can afford it… it could be really good.” Robin said keeping his voice low.

“Okay, I’ll think about it… but I just don’t know.” Came Anne’s voice, obviously tired of whatever they were talking about.

Marcel dropped his arm from in front of Louis and they walked into the kitchen, faces not giving away that they had been eavesdropping.

“There you two are! Oh Louis darling, this is Marcel’s stepfather, Robin. Robin this is Marcel’s project partner, Louis Tomlinson.” Anne smiled as she introduced the too.

“Pleasure.” Robin said shaking Louis’ hand firmly.

Louis gave him a curt nod not knowing what else to do or say.

“Grab a plate and help yourself.” Anne said putting some mashed potatoes, pot roast, and green beans on her plate along with a slice of buttered sour dough bread before heading to the dining room.

Robin followed after her with his own plate, leaving Marcel and Louis standing in the kitchen to get theirs.

“Why’d you stop me?” Louis asked in a whisper as he put some food on his plate.

Marcel didn’t give him a verbal answer; he just shrugged his shoulders and got a fork from the drawer. Louis frowned but said nothing more. They headed into the dining room and sat down next to each other, across from Anne and Robin.

This was all too weird to Louis. He rarely sat down at the dining table to eat and if he did it was only with his little sisters. His parents would sometimes work late shifts leaving him to prepare dinner for his younger siblings, something he was absolute shit at.

“So, Marcel, how was school today?” Robin asked looking up from his plate.

“It was good. We started performing our individual projects in music. I passed.” Marcel replied and Anne beamed at him.

“I’m so proud of you, that song was beautiful!” Anne gushed causing Marcel to blush because gosh not in front of Louis!!

“How about you Louis?” Robin asked turning to him.

Louis was almost stunned into silence. His parents rarely asked how school was and when they did it was mainly to make sure he was passing as expected.

“It was good, thanks.” Louis answered offering Robin and Anne a small smile.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence with an occasional smile passed between the four. When they were done Louis stood up with Marcel and headed towards the kitchen with their plates followed by Robin and Anne.

“That was really good Anne, thanks for letting me eat here again.” Louis said as they set their plates on the counter to be rinsed.

Louis then did something that shocked Marcel because never in a million years would he of pictured Louis doing this. Instead of moving away from the sink Louis turned and motioned for Marcel to hand him another plate to be rinsed.

“Oh Louis dear, you don’t have to do that, I’ll take care of it.” Anne protested.

“Please let me, it’s the least I can do.” Louis said looking over at her.

Anne pursed her lips together but nodded her head. She and Robin left the room, leaving Marcel and Louis at the sink rinsing everything off.

Louis was rinsing off the last plate when he splashed a bit of water onto Marcel, wetting a little of his white cotton shirt. Marcel looked down and then over at Louis who muttered an apology. Louis loaded the plates into the dishwasher and just as he turned back to the sink Marcel splashed the water from the running faucet onto Louis.

Louis looked down at his shirt, which was wetter than Marcel’s, and then back up at him. Marcel just innocently stared out the kitchen window that showed only a small portion of their large backyard. He didn’t know where that little shot of confidence came from. It wasn’t until a spray of cold water hit his face that he turned to face Louis was a gasp.

“What was that for?” Marcel asked with water dripping down his face.

“You wet me!” Louis exclaimed holding the sprayer up, poised to spray again.

“You wet me first!” Marcel retorted gesturing to his shirt.

“By accident. You did it on purpose so now we’re even.” Louis said smirking. “Then again…”

Marcel’s eyes went wide as Louis pressed the trigger again and water jetted out of the sprayer. Reaching out he managed to get his hand around the top of the sprayer and turn it on Louis, spraying him in the face.

“Marcel!” Louis exclaimed as the cold water soaked his shirt before he managed to turn the water back on the slightly taller boy.

“L-Louis!” Marcel sputtered as water got in his mouth.

“Marcel! Louis!” Anne exclaimed reappearing in the kitchen to find out what all the noise was. “What are you two doing?” she asked crossing her arms and tapping her foot, trying to hide her amusement.

Louis and Marcel stood guiltily looking at her with wet clothes clinging to them.

“He started it!” Louis said pointing at Marcel.

“I did not.” Marcel scowled at Louis.

Anne watched as the two boys bickered about who started the little water fight that had left a rather big water puddle on the tile floor. Yeah, she really couldn’t understand why they weren’t friends…

 

*Marcel’s POV*

“Marcel, why don’t you and Louis go get changed into some dry clothes, I’m sure you have something that will fit him, yeah?” Mum said grabbing a mop from near the back door.

“Okay. Sorry about the mess.” I replied but she waved it off with a smile.

“Its fine love, just go.” She said shooing us away.

“Uh follow me.” I said gesturing to Louis.

We walked upstairs and passed my music room to my bedroom. I opened the door and immediately went over to my closest to search for dry clothes. I pulled a pair of navy blue sweatpants out for Louis that I knew were too short for me and then a black shirt.

“Here, these should work. You can change in my bathroom.” I stated handing him the clothes and pointing to the door on the other side of my room.

Louis nodded and muttered thanks before disappearing into the bathroom. I walked back into my closest and quickly changed into a pair of grey sweats and a baby blue shirt, again with 3/4 sleeves to hide my tattoos.

Once Louis came out of the bathroom, I motioned for him to give me his wet clothes as I picked up my own.

“You can go ahead back in the music room; I’ll just run downstairs and put these through the wash.” I said and he nodded.

When I got back up to the music room Louis was settled on the black beanbag and strumming on the red wine Gibson guitar again.

“We need to start combining our ideas so we can get this done.” Louis commented glancing up with a stone face.

“S-sure.” I replied sitting down at the piano.

“Well? Go on… play what you’ve come up with!” Louis snapped setting the Gibson down.

I swallowed thickly and began to play what I had thought of. When I finished Louis nodded his head.

“Definitely needs guitar. I think that takes care of the music once we add that. Do you have any lyrics?” He asked picking up his notebook.

“Uh y-yeah. M-maybe we can c-combine some of t-them and use them f-for the s-song.” I stuttered out.

Louis hummed his agreement and for the next 3 we sat in the music room and went over the music and lyrics. When we called it quits we had a good idea of how we wanted the song to sound since we had about half the lyrics written for it. We just needed to finish it, practice it, and perform it… then we would be done with it.

“I need to head home.” Louis said standing up and stretching, the hem of my shirt riding up and exposing some of his tan stomach.

I couldn’t help but stare. It looked so smooth… so soft… I wondered how it would feel under my fingers and what the heck am I talking about. This is Louis Tomlinson. My bully. I can’t be thinking these things. I can’t be wanting to touch him and beside he obviously straight.

“Right, I’ll see you w-whenever so we can finish up.” I said standing up and shaking the images of his tone stomach out of my head… well trying to anyways.

“Maybe tomorrow evening.” Louis said walking to the door.

“Yeah maybe, you can g-get your clothes then too s-since they’re in the dryer.” I stated following him out.

“Okay.” Louis nodded as they walked down the stairs and towards the garage.

Once Louis was in his car I pressed the button for the second bay door to open. I watched as he backed out, swung his car around, and then drove away. I closed the door and walked back through the quiet house.

“Marcel?” Mum asked from the living room.

“Yeah mum?” I answered pausing at the steps.

“Is Louis gone?” She questioned.

“Yeah, he just left.” I replied.

“Alright love, goodnight.” She called out and I walked upstairs.

Back in my bedroom I took a quick shower and slipped into a clean pair of boxers before climbing into my bed. My mind drifted to Louis stretching and his stomach… I couldn’t get the image out of my head. I really wanted to feel him under my fingertips… no matter how much I hated him… I did hate him right?


	6. Chapter 6

*Louis’ POV*

I drove down Marcel’s driveway, down the road, and out the large gates of the neighborhood heading in the direction of my home. I glanced at the clock on my dash, 9:05. Sighing I turned my attention back to the dark road. I had been supposed to go over to Eleanor’s tomorrow and I had just pretty much agreed to go over to Marcel’s. Was it bad that I’d rather go to his house?

Fifteen minutes later I pulled up to my house. It was large, not as large as Marcel’s but still larger than most homes. I pulled into the garage and closed it behind me. Turning off the ignition I leaned my head back against my seat and just sat there.

Glancing down, I fiddled with the hem of the shirt Marcel leant me. It was soft. I wondered if that’s how he felt. Good God what is wrong with me!? I’m not gay and even if I were why in the world would I even wonder about that nerd?

I couldn’t help but let a little smile tug at my lips as I thought about how he looked so surprised when I sprayed him in the face with water. It had almost been… adorable. SHIT! I needed to stop right now!

Opening up my door, I climbed out of the car, disgusted with myself. How could I even let myself think about that pathetic nerd in such a way? I walked inside and headed towards the stairs, unfortunately not making it there before my mum caught me.

“Louis, where have you been?” She asked crossing her arms as she walked towards me.

“I was at Marcel’s… we were working on our music project.” I answered not sure why she cared, she didn’t care about anything else I did.

“You’re supposed to call when you’re not coming home Louis. You know this. I don’t see why I have to keep reminding you you’re almost 18!” Mum said giving me a frown.

“Sorry. I forgot.” I replied with a shrug.

“Louis.” Mum warned and I sighed.

“I’m sorry. I’m tired. Can I please just go to bed?” I requested stepping up onto the first step.

“Alright. You’re watching your sisters tomorrow by the way and I don’t want to hear any complaining.” She said as I began walking up the steps.

“But mum!” I exclaimed stopping mid step. “I have to go back over to Marcel’s to work on our project.”

“I’m sorry sweetheart; you can go over there once I get home.” Mum said giving me a somewhat sympathetic look.

I rolled my eyes but didn’t arguing with her.

“Goodnight.” I muttered than proceeded upstairs, not waiting for her reply.

Deciding on taking a shower in the morning since I had taken one after football practice, I crawled into bed after brushing my teeth, not bothering to change out of Marcel’s clothes. Turning on my side, I stared at the wall. As much as I hated to admit it, I was looking forward to Marcel teaching me how to play piano. I didn’t want to spend time with him but I did want to learn and he did play extremely well… I could deal with being around him if it meant me finally fulfilling my dream to play.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

I woke up the next morning to somebody jumping on my bed. I groaned and opened my eyes to see Daisy jumping up and down, the way she always woke me up.

“Hey kiddo. Why are you up so early?” I asked stretching and then reaching out for her.

“We’re hungry and mummy already left. Lottie said to wake you up.” Daisy giggled as she stopped bouncing and sat down, pushing strands of hair out of her face.

Pushing myself into a sitting position I pulled her in front of me and started putting her hair up in a ponytail. When I finished I dropped my fingers to her sides and tickled her, making her screech and then laugh.

“Alright, let’s go get food for my hungry monsters.” I chuckled getting out of the bed and kneeling down so she could climb onto my back.

I carried her downstairs where Lottie, Felicite, and Phoebe were sitting in the living room watching cartoons.

“Finally you’re awake!” Lottie said looking up at me from her place on our large tan sofa.

“I reserve the right to sleep in on Saturday; I have to get up early every weekday unlike you.” I replied setting Daisy down next to her twin.

“What are we going to eat Louis?” Fizzy asked resting her head on the back of the sofa.

I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face. “Let’s just go get McDonald’s, yeah?”

“Yay!” Phoebe and Daisy cheered together, hopping off the sofa and dashing to their rooms to change.

“Aren’t you two going to change?” I asked looking down at my other two little sisters.

“Do we have to?” Lottie asked staring at her pajama pants and grey t-shirt.

“Are you changing?” Fizzy questioned quirking her eyebrow.

I looked down and was almost shocked to see I wasn’t wearing clothes that belonged to me, and then I remember I had borrowed some of Marcel’s. I really didn’t feel like changing.

“No… and no. I’m going to brush my teeth; I’ll be back down in a minute.” I said before trotting back upstairs and into my on suite bathroom.

Ten minutes later we were all loaded into my family’s spare vehicle. Mum and Mark had purchased the new Acura MDX so I would have something to drive if I took my sisters off and their vehicles weren’t available.

We drove to the nearest McDonald’s and I ordered the girls to sit in one of the booths while I walked up to the counter to order their food. While I waited the door opened and in walked Eleanor and one of her other cheerleader friends, Vanessa.

“Lou!” Eleanor exclaimed walking over towards me while Vanessa went to order.

I groaned internally… I really… really didn’t want to deal with her now.

“Hey El.” I replied giving her a forced smile.

“What time are you coming by later?” She asked biting her lower lip, trying to be seductive. “I can’t wait to get you alone.”

“Yeah, about that. I can’t.” I said removing her hands from my shirt. Seriously my little sisters were right there!

“What?” Eleanor deadpanned, releasing her lip.

“I’m watching my sisters until my mum gets home and then I’m… uh I’m going to go work on my music project at Marcel’s.” I answered and she frowned.

“We never spend time alone together anymore Louis. Why are you always hanging out with that loser now?” She asked.

Honestly, did she actually think we were together or something? She seemed to with this talk of ‘alone time’… I don’t recall asking her to be my girlfriend… I didn’t even like her. Like I said, just an occasional fuck.

“Because I want to finish the project and that’s how it’s going to get done.” I responded sighing in relief as I saw our food being placed on a tray.

“Fine, but Sunday you’re mine.” Eleanor said moving in to hug me.

I hugged her back lightly; fully aware of my oldest little sisters’ gaze on us.

“Did you get a new cologne?” Eleanor asked suddenly pulling back a little.

“Um no?” I answered giving her a confused look.

“Oh, well your shirt doesn’t smell like you.” She said tugging lightly at the fabric.

“It’s not my shirt.” I shrugged and moved forward to pick up the tray with our food.

“Who’s shirt?” Eleanor asked stepping forward with me.

I sighed, held the tray in my hands, and turned to look at her, “It’s Marcel’s.”

Eleanor’s face was almost humorous. It contorted into that of complete and utter disgust as she wrenched herself away from me.

“OH! That is SO fucking disgusting!” She exclaimed staring repulsively down at her own clothes that had been touching me. “EW! I just touched something that belongs to that freak! That is so nasty. Oh my gosh, Vanessa! Come on I have to go change and shower!”

I did my best not to crack up as Vanessa hurried over, staring sympathetically at Eleanor. They hurried out the door and I rolled my eyes hearing their muttered ‘ew’s and ‘disgusting’s. I walked over to my sisters and sat down, passing out the food.

“So who’s Marcel and why did the snot freak out?” Lottie asked looking at me expectantly.

“Marcel is the school nerd and she was freaking out because this is his shirt and she touched it.” I chuckled… maybe I needed to borrow his clothes more often if it meant keeping her away.

“Why are you wearing his shirt?” Fizzy asked biting into her sandwich.

“Because my clothes got a bit wet yesterday after he sprayed me with water when we were cleaning up the kitchen.” I replied as I unwrapped my food.

“You… Louis Tomlinson… cleaned up a kitchen on your own free will!? My God somebody document this event… it’s one for the history books!” Lottie exclaimed and the others laughed.

“Shut up and eat.” I muttered.

“So you like him?” Lottie asked ignoring my order to eat.

I almost choked on the food in my mouth.

“No!” I coughed out. “Why would you even ask such a question!? I’m not gay and even if I were Marcel would be like bottom of the list. He’s a major nerd and his glasses are horrid… I wouldn’t be caught dating that.”

“You’re too judgmental.” Fizzy commented giving me a look.

“I’m just saying it how it is.” I shrugged and continued on with my sandwich.

Of course, Lottie’s question didn’t leave my mind. In fact it seemed as though it was going to stay in my mind all day. I couldn’t even wrap my head around why she would ask such a question. I thought it was pretty obvious that I wasn’t gay and didn’t they know me better than that? I mean I know they haven’t seen Marcel but I had just said he was the school nerd, which should have been enough for them to know I wouldn’t date him, even if I were gay… which I am not!

“Don’t think so hard Louis, that wrinkle will become permanent.” Lottie teased nudging my arm.

“Lottie, just eat your food.” I replied rolling my eyes.

She snickered but said nothing more as we ate our food. Once we were all done we threw away our trash and loaded back up into the SUV.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Mum finally got back home at 4:30 that afternoon. The girls and I had spent most of the day watching Disney movies and working on homework that they needed help with. Mum walked into the living room looking thoroughly exhausted.

“Hey mum, are you okay?” I asked looking up from the T.V.

“Yeah, I’m fine dear. Were you heading over to your friends house now?” She asked voice tired.

“Do you want me to stay? I can watch the girl while you take a nap…” I offered not liking seeing my mum so worn down.

“No, no that’s fine Lou, go ahead to your friends’.” Mum replied with a small smile.

“Okay.” I said getting up and going to hug her before running upstairs to grab Marcel’s clothes and my car keys.

I headed out to my car, tossing Marcel’s clothes into the passenger seat before cranking up and backing out of the driveway. After a quick chat with the guard at Marcel’s neighborhood I pulled up in front of their garage, stopping in front of the bay I knew was Marcels’.

Snatching up my phone and the clothes I walked to the front door and rang the door bell. A moment later, Anne opened the door and smiled brightly at me.

“Hello Louis! Come in!” She said holding the door open.

“Hi Anne, where’s Marcel at?” I questioned accepting the hug she offered me.

“Oh he’s upstairs in his room dear, go ahead up.” Anne smiled motioning to the stairs.

“Thanks.” I smiled back and headed upstairs.

I walked down the hall to Marcel’s room and knocked on the closed door. I heard shuffling in the room and some muttering.

“Honestly mum, I’ll be down in a…” Marcel opened the door and stopped mid sentence.

I forced myself not to gape at the site that greeted my eyes. Marcel stood before me shirtless and with curly hair! Part of me was gaping at the long, tone, tan torso that my eyes raked over while another part of me was gaping at the tattoos etched into his flawless skin. I knew I needed to stop staring but I just couldn’t! I never expected all that to be hidden underneath the white button ups and hideous vest.

Marcel cleared his throat and my eyes shot up to meet his. He was blushing scarlet.

“I’m n-not your mum.” I tried to recover and keep my eyes on his face.

“N-no y-you’re definitely n-not.” Marcel stuttered out. “Y-you can w-wait in the m-music r-room. I’ll b-be there in a m-minute.”

I nodded my head unable to form any words. He closed the door and I stood there for a moment, letting my mouth drop open because holy fuck that was hot… gay or not… that… shit. My mind couldn’t even form a proper sentence! I turned and walked to the music room.

Once inside I collapsed on the black beanbag and ran my fingers through my hair. Why did he hide under those horrid clothes when he could be flaunting that perfect body? He would be wanted by so many people. Why did he gel his hair back with curls like that!?

A minute later Marcel walked in and shut the door behind him. I looked up at him. He was now wearing black sweatpants, as before, with a white t-shirt that dipped low enough to see the wings of the swallow tattoos I now knew were on his chest. All I saw was a shirtless Marcel though. The image was permanently imbedded in my mind.

“I’m s-sorry about t-that, I s-should have a-asked who it w-was.” Marcel said sitting down at the piano.

“It’s fine. I didn’t know you had tattoos…” I replied looking up at him while trying to control my teenage hormones.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I couldn’t get the image of him shirtless out of my head. That long… tan… tone… soft torso… I just wanted to… I just wanted to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked or at tone. NO! No I didn’t want to do that! I didn’t care! I didn’t want to touch that nerd! God, but yes I did… who wouldn’t want to?

“Not m-many people d-do.” Marcel said blushing again. “S-should we start w-working?”

I nodded my head as a response, my words failing me once again.

“I-I came up with s-some ideas for the c-chorus.” Marcel stuttered picking up his notebook.

“Alright, let’s hear them.” I replied trying to get myself back to hating the boy sitting in front of me.

For the next two hours Marcel and I tossed ideas back and forth, trying to figure out the chorus and second verse. We couldn’t come up with anything. Everything else was done otherwise. I finally closed my notebook and tossed it away from me.

“I can’t come up with anything, let’s take a break.” I grumbled just as Anne knocked on the door and opened it.

“Time to eat boys.” She smiled then walked away.

“Maybe we can t-trying some p-piano lessons after w-we eat?” Marcel commented as we walked out of the room and towards the stairs.

“Sure… I don’t see why not. I won’t learn anything if we never start.” I replied, my usual tone taking over finally.

I saw Marcel hang his head a little as we walked down the stairs, his curly hair bouncing softly against his forehead. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through them… God what was wrong with me!?!?

There was no way I was starting to like this loser… no fucking way. We were from two very different worlds. He was a nerd and I was a popular footie captain. Those worlds were NEVER allowed to mix. Something tugged inside me because maybe… maybe… maybe I wanted them to NO! NO! NO! I shook my head as I followed Marcel to the dining room.

I needed to stop with these stupid thoughts. People like Marcel didn’t deserve to be with people like me. I was the top of the food chain and he was the very bottom. I just needed to finish the song and do some piano lessons while we were still doing the project. Once the project was done though I would end the piano lessons, I wasn’t going to keep hanging out with this pathetic human, he would ruin my rep.

I sat down at the table with new determination. We were going to finish this project as quickly as possible and then I was never going to speak to Marcel Styles ever again unless it was to harass him. Yes. That’s exactly what I was going to do.


	7. Chapter 7

*Marcel’s POV*

After dinner Louis and I walked back upstairs with full stomachs. Mum had made tacos tonight and they had been delicious as always. We walked into the music room and I closed the door behind us before walking over to the piano and sitting down on the bench.

“S-So, what do you know a-about playing p-piano?” I asked looking over at Louis hesitantly.

“Uh I know the piano keys, like A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. I normally run into issue with my fingers pressing two keys at once, I can’t ever get it right.” Louis answered walking over to where I sat.

“S-show me.” I said getting up so he could sit down. “N-name the k-keys.”

Louis sighed as he sat down but did as I told him to do. He pressed each key and named the correct letter for each.

“Ok, now t-try and p-play something.” I said standing so I could watch his hands.

Louis brought both hands up to the piano and settled for a simple tune, one of the easiest there were. I watched as he began to play and on the third note his fingers struck two keys, I immediately saw the problem.

“You’re holding your hands wrong.” I stated sitting down on the edge of the bench. “Look…”

I brought my hands to the higher keys and played a tune, “Now you t-try.”

Louis placed his hands once more and began to play, again hitting 2 keys at once. He let out a huff of annoyance, pulling his hands away. I thought for a moment before standing up and moving to stand behind and a little to the right of him. Reaching out I placed my right hand on the keys in front of him.

“M-mold your hand to m-mine.” I instructed and he gave me a bewildered look.

“That means I have to touch you.” Louis protested looking rather disgusted.

I sighed and pulled my hand back, “Do you w-want to learn o-or not?”

“I… Fine.” Louis grumbled putting his hand back on the keys.

Reaching over again I placed my hand on top of his.

“Mold you h-hand to mine.” I repeated my instruction.

Slowly Louis molded his hand to mine. My eyes widened a bit as our skin touched. His hands were warm and soft. They were the kind of hands you wanted to feel brushing across your bare sk- NO! I was absolutely not going to even think about that. Louis might be the hottest guy in school and I may be gay but it would be foolish of me to fall for him… to even think of him in such a manner. I would be setting myself up for heartbreak because that… me and him… would never happen.

Swallowing thickly, I shook my head and then spoke, “T-This is how you should h-hold your f-fingers. Y-you won’t h-hit other k-keys.” I explained.

Louis nodded his head. I knew he was looking down at the piano but I didn’t know where his eyes were exactly.

“Okay. Let me try again yeah?” He said giving my hand a nudge so I would remove it.

I watched silently as he took a breath and started to play. I smiled as his fingers graced over the keys, only striking two a couple of times. When he stopped playing he dropped his hands and turned to look at me. I could see happiness glittering in his ocean blue eyes. It might not have been perfect but it was obvious the best he had ever played.

“How was that?” He asked, a little hope laced through his voice.

“N-not bad. Y-you only hit two keys a couple of times. Y-you learn f-fast.” I managed out with a small smile.

“Thanks. Um I guess we should start working on our project.” Louis replied looking away from me.

“R-right.” I stuttered moving to sit in a blue beanbag.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

 

*Louis’ POV*

I had gotten home from Marcel’s around 8 and was greeted by my mums’ and stepdads’ voices coming from the living room.

“How did that even happen?” Mark asked obviously annoyed.

“I don’t know.” Mum answered with a tired voice.

“Well things like that don’t just happen, Johannah.” Mark retorted.

I moved towards the living room, I clearly wasn’t supposed to be hearing whatever they were talking about… and honestly I didn’t really want to know because they had been fighting a lot lately.

“I’m home.” I called out as I neared the room.

They stopped talking and looked up at me as I entered the room, both of them looking rather exhausted.

“Hello sweetheart, have fun over at your friends?” Mum asked running her fingers through her hair.

“Well, we were working on our school project, not much fun involved in that.” I replied sitting down next to her.

“Ah. What are you doing tomorrow?” Mum questioned reaching over and brushing a piece of hair that had fallen from my quiff out of my face.

“Going over to Eleanor’s, you didn’t need me did you?” I asked almost hopefully because I really didn’t want to hang out with her.

“No dear, you can go over to her house. She’s such a sweet girl.” Mum said with a smile.

“Okay. Well, I’m just going to head upstairs. I told Marcel I’d try and figure out some lyrics for our project. See you in the morning. Night.” I said standing up and giving them both a hug before hurrying up to my room.

I took a quick shower in my attached bathroom and changed into a pair of grey plaid pajama bottoms before making myself comfortable on my full size bed. I picked up my notebook and grabbed a pen. For two hours I racked my brain, trying to come up with lyrics, but they still refused to come. Finally, I gave up and tossed the notebook onto the nightstand. Flipping out the light I curled up under my navy blue comforter and drifted to sleep, plagued with dreams of Marcel’s body… or his hands…

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

When I woke up I shifted and then groaned quietly. Pulling back the covers I was shocked to find myself half hard, my pants slightly tented. What the hell had I dreamed!? Suddenly I remembered a bit of one of my dreams… Marcel had been it… he had been shirtless… and oh God he had been touching me!

I wasn’t sure whether to throw up or die right there in my bed at the realization. I scrambled out of bed and into my bathroom where I looked in my mirror and found myself flush in the face. Quickly, I stripped off my pants and boxers and hopped into the shower, not bothering to let the water warm up. I needed the cold. I needed this to go away or at least go down so it wasn’t so damn obvious!

When I turned off the shower I dried myself off and slipped into a pair of black skinny jeans with a teal shirt, thankful my still slightly hard length wasn’t obvious in the tight pants. With a thankful sigh I fixed my hair in the mirror before strolling down to the kitchen where the smell of… nothing hit my nose. That was really weird. Normally mum would be up fixing breakfast for everyone on Sunday, but I walked into the kitchen and found it empty.

I was just finishing a bowl of cereal when mum walked into the kitchen.

“Morning.” I said standing up from the breakfast bar.

“Morning Lou.” She replied shuffling over to the coffee maker and switching it on.

She turned around and pulled a piece of paper from the notepad we kept in the kitchen. “Could you please go pick these things up from the store, love, before you head over to Eleanor’s?” Mum asked handing me the paper with a list of things on it.

“Sure mum. I’ll be back.” I nodded and headed towards the garage, snatching up my wallet, phone, and keys as I went.

I slipped on a pair of old TOMS and lowered myself into the seat of my Porsche. I turned on the radio as I drove to the nearby supermarket. Jason Derulo’s ‘The Other Side’ came on and I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel and sang along.

At the store I roamed around and collected all the things on my mum’s list before heading up to the checkout counter. The lady told me the total and I pulled out my debit card. I swiped the card and then frowned when an error message showed up on the little screen.

“I’m sorry sir, but the card was declined.” The cashier said. “Do you have another card?”

I nodded with a frown still on my face and pulled out my credit card, something I had in case of emergencies as my mum had reminded me countless times. They never wanted to have to deal with paying off credit cards so we rarely used them.

After loading the bags into my car, I headed for home. Glancing at the clock I saw it was already 12PM. I walked into the house with my arms loaded and set everything on the counter just as my mum appeared.

“Get everything dear?” She asked placing a cup in the sink.

“Yeah, um I had to use my credit card, my other one wouldn’t work.” I said handing her the receipt.

She pursed her lips and took the receipt from me. “Odd.” She said looking over the thin piece of paper.

“Well, I’m going to head over to Eleanor’s now.” I stated grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge before waving goodbye.

“Don’t be back too late Louis, you have school tomorrow.” I heard Mark, my stepdad, call as I disappeared to the garage again.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I knew he had my best interest in mind but I despised anyone who wasn’t my mother giving me orders.

I drove towards Eleanor’s house in complete silence. About 10 minutes away my mind suddenly decided it wanted to think about my dream from last night. It had been so real… I had sworn I could actually feel Marcel’s soft, strong hand running across my chest and down my stomach. I let out a groan as I felt my pants get a little tighter. Oh my fuck I needed to stop. I was absolutely disgusted with myself for even thinking about Marcel let alone that stupid dream. I willed myself to calm down.

I pulled up to Eleanor’s house and jumped out of the car. I really didn’t want to be here but I needed something to get Marcel out of my mind and Eleanor could do that. Reaching out, I rang the doorbell and a second later it was answered by Eleanor wearing cheer shorts and a crop top. I admit she was pretty… but she just didn’t do anything for me.

“Hey baby!” She cooed wrapping her arms around my neck once I was inside and the door was shut.

“Hey El, sorry I couldn’t make it yesterday.” I said putting my hands on her hips.

“It’s alright babe, you’ll just have to make it up to me now…” She whispered giving me a seductive look as she leaned in and connected our lips.

I forced myself to kiss her back. Any other guy would have been rock hard at her tone but not me… I didn’t even twitch at it. I snaked my arms around her waist and pressed her up against me hoping to get some kind of reaction from my lower region. It just wasn’t happening though. Her soft lips and small hands just weren’t doing it for me.

Before I could even stop myself I let my mind wonder to Marcel. I bet my member would be fully hard in a matter of seconds if he spoke seductively to me… and I know it would be his he ran his large, rough but soft, strong hand over my body.

That flipped a switch somewhere inside me and I felt my pants get tight. Oh fuck… the thought of Marcel touching me was getting me hard! What the fuck!? Eleanor moaned softly and rutted up against me when she felt the bulge forming in my pants.

She pulled back and tugged at my shirt, eyes filled with lust, “Let’s go to my room baby…”

I allowed myself to be lead through her large house and up to her bedroom where she shut the door and locked it. She pulled me over to the bed and dropped down on it, pulling me on top of her. I felt her reach blindly for her nightstand and a moment later she was pressing a condom packet into my hands. We had always taken to the extra precaution even though she was on the pill.

I set the condom on the bed beside her and worked quickly to strip both of us of our clothes. After a bit of foreplay, I reached for the packet and ripped it open. I rolled the condom down my length then thrust into her. I didn’t give a shit about her… I just wanted to reach my own high and get relief from the painful hard on I was sporting from thinking about Marcel.

I wanted to punch myself for thinking about Marcel. I was not gay. My kind didn’t mix with his kind. But I couldn’t help but think of how tight he would be. I couldn’t help but think of how sexy he would sound moaning under me. I shook my head, I needed to get rid of these thoughts and if that meant finding someone else to fuck then so be it.

“Lou!” Eleanor cried out as she reached her climax.

I released into the condom a moment later and pulled out. I tied the end and tossed it into the trash bin. Standing up I pulled on my clothes and shoved my phone back in my pocket.

“I gotta go, sorry El.” I said pulling out my keys and walking out of the room, leaving her bare on the bed.

I hurried out of the house and drove away quickly. I was glad I had been relieved of the hard on I had been sporting since the morning but I was pissed at the fact that I had really just gotten off on thoughts of that disgusting… pathetic… stupid nerd.

Well. I guess I would just have to harass him even more now. Surely that will take care of these thoughts. The more I harassed him the more my mind would come to believe the words that I said to him… the thoughts would be gone in no time. Oh if I only knew it was just wishful thinking.


	8. Chapter 8

*Marcel’s POV*

Monday I woke up and got ready for school as usual. I had spent most of the day yesterday trying and failing to figure out the rest of the lyrics for mine and Louis’ project. We had plenty of time to get it done but Louis had made it quite clear that he wanted to get it done as soon as possible and I’m sure that’s so he didn’t have to be around me so much.

It kind of sucked. The past couple of times Louis had been over had been alright. He hadn’t been to mean to me and it felt like maybe somewhere down the road we could be friends… though that was a stupid thought because he would never be friends with someone like me. I was just nerdy Marcel, the person nobody wanted.

I hopped into my car and drove to school with the radio on listening to Demi Lovato’s new song ‘Made in the U.S.A’. Pulling up into the car lot I could see Louis and his friends standing outside the doors talking and laughing, I silently wished there was another entrance.

With my backpack hung on my shoulder I made my way up to the school doors. About halfway there my phone began to ring. I looked down and saw it was Gemma. I answered quickly, excited to be hearing from my sister.

“Hey Gem!” I answered happily.

“Hey Marce!” Gemma replied. “Are you already in school?”

“No, just got there actually, I’ve got a few minutes, what’s up?” I asked glancing up to see I was getting closer to the front doors where Louis was… oh… and they were smirking at me… that’s just not good.

“Well, I was thinking about coming home for a visit. I just wanted to know when a good time would be since mum and Robin are always busy.” Gemma said shuffling around wherever she was.

“Mum’s actually been home a lot for the past two weeks but she wasn’t there when I got up and neither was Robin. They go out a lot in the evening…” I said lowering my voice.

“Oh Marce…” Gemma sighed into the phone. “They don’t even ask if you want to go?”

“No…” I answered sadly.

I walked up the steps and came face to face with Louis, Niall, and Zayn.

“My, my, what do we have here? Marcel talking on his cell phone? I’m amazed someone actually kept his number.” Louis smirked while Niall barked with laughter.

“Who was that?” Gemma asked curiously.

“It’s nobody Gem.” I replied trying to side step Louis.

“It’s a girl! Oh my gosh… Marcel I thought you liked cock?” Louis exclaimed quite loudly.

“Seriously Marcel, who the hell is that?” Gemma asked voice turning colder, obviously hearing what Louis was saying.

“It’s really nobody.” I repeated, face heating up as others stopped and stared at me.

“It doesn’t sound like nobody.” Gemma scoffed.

“Look Gem, I gotta go school’s about to start. I’ll call you later, promise.” I sighed into the phone.

“Alright Marce, but don’t think this conversation is finished.” She replied with a strict tone. “Bye, love you baby bro.”

“Love you too Gem, bye.” I hung up the phone and pushed it into my pocket before looking up at Louis feeling agitated that he had interrupted my conversation with my sister. “What do you want?” I asked adjusting my bag.

Louis’ eyebrows shot up and his eyes got wide just like Niall’s and Zayn’s. They clearly weren’t expecting me to ask that and they were probably amazed I didn’t stutter… heck I’m amazed at that.

“Excuse me?” Louis hissed stepping closer to me.

Since I was still standing on one of the steps he was slightly taller than me and I felt my confidence disappearing.

“I said what do you want?” I asked again swallowing thickly.

Louis sneered down at me, “What I want is to finish our project so I don’t have to see your ugly face more than absolutely necessary.”

“Then come over after school or after football practice or whatever.” I said then moved to talk around him, completely shocked at myself at how I had just spoken to him.

Just as I walked by I felt a hand reach out and grab the collar of my shirt. I looked down and saw Louis tan hand fisting my shirt. He gave me a shove backwards causing me to stumble but thankfully not fall. More students began to gather around, no longer concerned with getting to class, as Louis got in my face.

“You don’t fucking tell me what to do you twit. You got that?” He growled giving me another rough shove, this type causing my back to collide with one of the brick columns that flanked the top of the steps.

I let out a small groan and didn’t answer as my back hit the column, I would definitely have a bruise there. I pushed away from the column and tried to move towards the doors but Louis stopped me.

“Where do you think you’re going nerd?” He asked blue eyes blazing.

“C-Class.” I stuttered out and he laughed.

“I asked you a question.” Louis sneered jabbing me in the chest.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, distracting me from Louis and causing me not to answer his question. I felt his hand fist the front of my shirt again.

“I said… you got that, four eyes!?” Louis growled lowly.

“Y-Yeah.” I stuttered feeling fear taking over my body.

Louis smirked and shoved me hard. This time Zayn stuck his foot out causing me to fall backwards onto my bum. I slammed against the brick wall and dropped my backpack. Tears brimmed my eyes, because that really hurt.

“That’s what I thought.” Louis sneered looking down at me. “Let’s go boys, leave poor nerdy Marcel to cry.”

I watched as they walked away with everyone else. Slowly I stood up and collected my backpack from the ground. I walked down the hall to my locker and got my books. I walked into music class just before the bell and thankfully was able to sit next to Liam.

“You alright Marce?” Liam asked leaning over towards me.

“M’fine.” I muttered trying to ignore the ache in my back.

Liam gave me a skeptical look but nodded his head and looked back up to the teacher.

The rest of the day went by super slow it seemed. My back was killing me. All I wanted to do was go home, take a pain reliever, and go to sleep. Of course, I couldn’t do that though because as soon as the bell rang signaling the end of our last class Louis leaned over and hissed that he would come to my house after practice.

When I got home I said hello to my mum and Robin then headed upstairs to take some medicine to help with the pain in my back and changed into some more comfortable clothes. I wondered downstairs when I heard my name being called.

“Yeah mum?” I asked walking into the kitchen and coming to a halt when I saw them dressed to go out.

“We’re heading out dear, we’ll be back late. I left the number for the Chinese place and the pizza place on the counter with some money. I assume Louis will be here later so find out what he wants.” Mum said picking up her purse.

“Okay, bye.” I said without even thinking because oh my gosh I was going to be alone… with Louis…

I watched as mum and Robin left. Of all the times they had to decide to go out! It was an hour later that there was a knock at the front door. I got up from the sofa in the living room and walked towards it. Opening up the door, it revealed Louis standing on my front step dressed in tight black skinny jeans and a white shirt.

Without saying anything I moved aside and let him walk in to the house. For the past two weeks, each time Louis had come over the sound of the T.V would fill the downstairs due to my mum but today the house was silent.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, “W-Want something to drink?”

“Sure.” Louis replied and followed me to the kitchen.

I pulled out two bottles of water and handed him one of them. Louis glanced around apparently expecting my mum to walk in at any moment and greet him like she usually did.

“Quiet house today…” Louis commented uncapping his bottle.

“Y-Yeah… Mum and Robin w-went out for the e-evening.” I stuttered out setting my bottle on the counter.

“Oh?” Louis spoke quirking his eyebrow, a smirk forming on his lips… I didn’t like that… not one bit.

“Y-Yeah.” I said moving past him and heading in the direction of the living room where my notebook was.

I winced as I sat down on the plush sofa, the pain killers were slowly kicking in, but my back still hurt. Louis sat down on the opposite end and set his notebook in his lap with a smirk on his face as he watched me.

“Something wrong Marcel?” Louis snickered as I adjusted one of the pillows on the sofa.

“Back hurts.” I muttered under my breath.

I heard Louis chuckle lowly and I swear I just wanted to hit him… even though I knew I would never have the guts to even raise a finger at him. Just as I opened my notebook my phone began to ring, blaring Trouble by Olly Murs. I looked down and saw Gemma’s name on the screen.

“Hey Gem.” I answered placing the phone against my ear.

“Hey Haz, did you get a chance to talk to mum?” Gemma asked.

“No, sorry, she left before I could ask her. I’m sure you can come whenever though, they aren’t going to care when.” I replied glancing over at Louis to see him staring at me.

“I know, I just wanted to make sure I came when they were actually around. I mean of course I want to see you but I want to see mum as well.” Gemma sighed knowing how often our mum and Robin went off.

“Hurry up Marcel. We’ve got a project to do.” Louis said glaring at me.

“Who was that?” Gemma questioned obviously having heard Louis.

“My partner for a project in music class.” I answered

“He sounds impatient and a lot like whoever was talking to you this morning. What was that all about? The guy was a complete ass.” Gemma commented angrily.

“Right on the nose with that one.” I replied knowing Louis would have no clue what I was agreeing with her about.

“For a nerd you sure are stupid…” Louis said and I turned to see him with my notebook in his hands looking at my random scribbles of potential lyrics.

I reached out and snatched the book away from him just as Gemma growled in the phone.

“Who the fuck does he think he is? Seriously Marcel, why is he even in the house kick his ass out!” she said testily.

“Gem, I gotta finish this project. Just come whenever you want to okay? I’m sure mum will be thrilled.” I said ignoring her question.

“Marcel, I swear we are going to talk about this when I get home.” Gemma stated firmly. “I’ll see you within a couple days. I love you little bro.”

“Love you too, bye.” I replied and then hung up the phone.

“About damn time.” Louis grumbled giving me a hard stare. “Seriously, I can’t even imagine someone wanting to talk to you for even a minute let alone saying I love you to you… course they probably didn’t mean it but still.”

My jaw tightened at his words and my eyes burned with tears. He was probably right. Gemma probably said I love you because she was family and felt like she had too… just like my mum.

“Aw, is poor wittle Marcy gonna cry?” Louis pouted at me with a smug look.

I turned my head away slightly and closed my eyes, trying to will the unshed tears away. I swear I was not going to cry in front of the guy that bullied me. He would tell everyone and I would be the laughing stock of the entire school.

“Poor Marcy… so unloved and unwanted by everyone.” Louis continued with a smirk on his handsome face.

I hated that I found him handsome. I hated that his blue eyes were like oceans. I hated that his smile was so perfect. I hated how his thighs filled his jeans, all muscular and tone. I hated that I was gay and was crushing on him despite that fact that he bullied me.

“So alone… even your mum has to get away from you.” Louis taunted.

I squeezed my eyes shut as his words met my ears. It was probably true… she probably did go off with Robin so much and not ask me to come because she wanted to get away from me. I could feel myself getting angry… it didn’t happen often… but this was simply uncontrollable as Louis took jab after jab at me.

“Obviously your sister moved out first chance she got, probably couldn’t wait to get away from her nerdy loser of a brother.” Louis said lowly.

I snap at that. I rocketed off the sofa and turned to glare furiously at him.

“For your fucking information I was talking to my sister on the phone and she was asking me when she could come home to see me and my mum! And you know what else, I know that nobody fucking cares about me or likes me or loves me! I don’t need you to tell me that! Everybody hates me at school and it’s mainly your damn fault because all you do is talk shit about me! All my sister had to hear was the first thing you said to me this morning to call you an ass and she hit the nail straight on the fucking head! That’s all you are! You’re just a jerk that people pretend to like because you’re good looking and one of the richest guys in school!” I yelled letting all my anger out.

I bent over and picked up his notebook that had fallen off his lap and shut it roughly.

“I don’t give a shit if we haven’t finished our project or worked on it today. Take your notebook and your bullying ass.” I growled shoving the notebook at him. “And get out of my house. Now!”

I stepped back and crossed my arms as Louis stood up quickly with wide eyes and hurried towards the front door without saying anything. I followed after him and slammed the door as soon as he walked out. As soon as I slammed the door I felt all my anger rush out of me and be replaced by sadness as my heart seemed to cave in. I didn’t even try to move away from the door as I leaned against it heavily and sank down to the ground and buried my face in my arms crossed over my knees.

Hot tears ran down my cheeks. They felt like acid on my skin. My breathing became more labored as sobs racked through my entire body. Everything Louis said was swimming in my head. Every word had been true. My mum didn’t love me. My sister didn’t love me. My dad didn’t love me. Robin didn’t love me. Liam didn’t love me. Jessica didn’t love me. Nobody loved me. I was such a massive waste of space.

I leaned my head back against the door and ran my fingers through my hair then wiped the back of my hand over my damp cheeks. It didn’t really make any difference because two second later they were wet once more as the tears kept flowing.

I took a few deep breaths and stood up shakily. I picked up my notebook and phone in the living room and then headed upstairs. I tossed the items on my nightstand without care… it was rare that I treated my things like that, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care. Moving over to my windows I closed the curtains making the room relatively dark. I walked back over to my bed, ignoring my buzzing phone, no doubt a text from Liam or Jessica, and crawled under the covers. I buried my face in my pillow and closed my eyes… letting sleep take me over going to a place where my heart didn’t ache so ba


	9. Chapter 9

*Louis’ POV*

I hurried out of Marcel’s house and heard the door slam as I scurried down the steps. My eyes felt like they were being held open by some invisible force – I couldn’t blink. In all honesty I was terrified. Never in a million years would I have ever expected to see Marcel Styles lose it. I mean he literally lost it and it was frightening. He had stood to his full height and had been yelling at me loud and clear… absolutely no stutter.

I cranked my car and sped away from the home as quickly as I could without getting ticketed. Marcel’s words were starting to come back to me and they were hitting me like bricks.

_“All my sister had to hear was the first thing you said to me this morning to call you an ass and she hit the nail straight on the fucking head!”_

_“That’s all you are!”_

_“You’re just a jerk that people pretend to like…”_

For the first time in so many years I felt like an absolutely horrid person. I never thought that people were friend’s with me because I was good looking or because I was rich… I thought they were friends with me because they liked me. Marcel’s sister had only heard a few words out of me before saying I was an ass.

I gripped the steering wheel with both hands as I headed for home. I pulled up in my driveway and parked in the garage as usual. As I walked through the front door I heard voices coming from my mum and stepdads room.

“I DON’T CARE HOW IT HAPPENED JOHANNAH!” Marks’ voice rang out loud and clear.

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT!” I heard mum yell back and I frowned, I knew things were getting tense around here, but it had never escalated to them yelling at each other.

“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO BOUGHT HIM THAT PORSCHE! A PORSCHE! WHAT TEENAGER NEEDS A CAR LIKE THAT!?” Mark roared.

My eyes widened… they were fighting about… me? I walked a little closer to their bedroom; the door was open a few inches.

“THAT ISN’T THE REASON AND YOU HAD PART IN THAT TOO!” Mum exclaimed angrily.

“I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH CHOICE NOW DID I!?” Mark yelled.

What? What was going on? I forced myself to go upstairs. I could still hear them yelling but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. My sisters suddenly came into mind and I hurried to their bedrooms, finding them all in Lottie’s. My heart broke when I saw my little sisters all sitting on her bed with wet cheeks and confused faces.

“Louis…” Daisy whimpered pushing away from Lottie.

I scooped her up in my arms and moved to sit on the bed, placing her in my lap.

“Lottie, why didn’t you call me? I would have come straight home” I said putting my arm around her and tucking her into my side while Fizzy and Phoebe shuffled closer to me.

“They only just started like ten minutes ago; I thought they would stop soon.” Lottie muttered resting her head on my shoulder.

I let out a heavy sigh and watched as Daisy’s and Phoebe’s eyes began to drift shut. A few minutes later they were sound asleep and soon followed by Fizzy. I looked over at Lottie, her eyes were beginning to droop, obviously emotionally exhausted. Once she was asleep I let my head fall back against the wall with a small sigh. When did life get so difficult?

An hour later I heard Lottie’s door open up and I looked in its direction to see my mum standing there looking in on us. I love my mum, I really do, but right then I couldn’t help but give her a rather harsh glare. She gave me a sad smile then left, closing the door softly behind her. Lottie jolted awake, having heard the door and looked at me curiously.

“It was just mum. I guess they’re done arguing.” I explained and she nodded then nudged Fizzy to wake her up.

When they were all awake we walked out of the room and downstairs where mum was paying the pizza delivery guy at the door. Mark was nowhere in sight.

In the kitchen, the girls got their pizza and moved to the living room leaving mum and I standing in the room.

“Why were you guys yelling at each other?” I asked putting two slices on my plate.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about dear.” Mum replied with a heavy sigh.

“Are you sure? Because I came home to my little sisters crying in Lottie’s room while you two were still yelling at each other.” I said turning to look at her with narrowed eyes.

“Louis, don’t worry about it.” Mum repeated.

“Mum, I’m serious. I don’t like seeing my little sisters so upset and they were upset because of you two!” I snapped crossing my arms.

“Louis William Tomlinson I said it’s nothing for you to worry about! If you’re going to keeping nagging about it just take your food to your room!” Mum replied slapping her hand down on the counter.

I was taken aback by it. She never used my middle name. I snatched my plate off the counter and after giving her a hurt and aggravated look, I went to my bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For the next week I didn’t do much of anything beyond going to school and footie practice. We had a game on Wednesday, which we won, and that was the highlight of the week. I hadn’t been over to Marcel’s since he blew up and kicked me out. I’ve taken some jabs at him during school but made sure not to completely piss him off again because that would just be embarrassing to get yelled at by him at school.

His comment about people only being my friend because I was rich was constantly present in my head. I knew Zayn and Niall were really my friends… they had been since we were little… everyone else though I was unsure of.

Things at home weren’t getting any better; in fact they were getting worse. There wasn’t a night that mum and Mark didn’t fight. I didn’t know what they were fighting about… I just knew that they were yelling at each other. My sisters often came to my room and curled up with me when the yelling reached their ears.

It was Thursday and I had very briefly spoken to Marcel and agreed to come over to his house so we could work on our project. When I got there I noticed all the garage bays were closed and there was a new BMW sitting outside of the bay I knew was Marcel’s. I parked behind Anne’s bay and walked to the front door. The door was opened by a girl older than I with blonde hair.

“Uh, hey is Marcel here?” I asked knowing just by her facial features that this was Gemma, Marcel’s sister.

“Yeah he’s upstairs, go ahead up.” She said holding the door open.

“Thanks.” I replied then hurried up the stairs to his music room.

Marcel was sitting at the piano with his notebook in front of him and a pen in his hand. I cleared my throat and he jumped a little.

“Oh h-hey.” Marcel stuttered turning around and seeing me.

“Hey.” I replied dropping down into one of the beanbags.

“I t-thought maybe we c-could run through the s-song and maybe the r-rest of the l-lyrics would come to u-us.” Marcel said and I nodded my head.

“Yeah okay, not a bad idea.” I said standing back up and retrieving the dark red wine colored Gibson.

We ran through the song without lyrics the first time, confirming that we liked the music. The second time we added in what lyrics we had written. Still absolutely nothing came to us. It was aggravating to say the least.

Around 5 Anne knocked on the door and told us dinner was ready. Marcel and I walked downstairs and found Anne and Gemma standing in the kitchen talking happily with each other. Anne turned around and smiled when she saw me.

“Louis, darling, it’s nice to see you again!” She smiled and gave me a small hug.

“You too.” I returned the smile.

“Oh Louis, this is Marcel’s sister, Gemma.” Anne said gesturing to Gemma.

“Hey, nice to meet you.” I said politely.

 “Yeah, you too.” She replied then quirked her eye at Marcel… oh God she probably knows it’s me, the ‘ass’.

Anne had made tacos and we all grabbed a plate to begin building our own. We sat down at the table and made small talk. Anne asked Marcel and I about school and Gemma what she had planned for the rest of her weeklong stay.

When dinner was over, Marcel and I headed back up to the music room and continued playing our song and trying to figure out the last lyrics. We finally gave up once more at 8:30 and I muttered a ‘bye’ to him and left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Friday felt like the longest day of my life at school. Minutes felt like hours. My eyes were heavy from lack of sleep. Last night had been my mum and Mark’s worst fight yet. Their yelling could be heard from any place in the house and it went on forever unlike their usual 20 minutes fights. My sisters had been crying before they even made it into my room.

I had stayed awake most of the night looking after them, scared one of them would wake up from a nightmare like they had for the last two nights. Today I was almost dead on my feet.

The last bell of the day finally rang and I hurried to my car to go home, ready to get some much needed sleep before Mark got home and the fighting started. Lottie and Fizzy had both gone to a friend’s house to spend the night so that left me only having to worry about Daisy and Phoebe.

I curled up in my bed as soon as I got home and changed into a pair of flannel pants. I was awakened by shouts coming from downstairs. I groaned looking over at my window. Holy crap it was dark outside and rain was beating on the window, lightning and thunder heavy.

I pushed out of bed, amazed Daisy and Phoebe hadn’t come rushing into my room. Walking out into the hall the yelling got louder… they were in the living room. I walked down the stairs quietly and sat down on the very bottom one, listening.

“I AM SO SICK OF THIS JOHANNAH!” Mark yelled.

“AND YOU THINK I’M NOT!?” Mum yelled back.

“OUR BANK ACCOUNT IS DAMN NEAR EMPTY NOW! YOU SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN ANOTHER JOB BY NOW!” Mark roared.

I frowned at that. Mum didn’t have a job? Since when? She was a nurse at the same hospital Mark worked for.

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT!” Mum snapped.

“YOU. GOT. FIRED!! IT IS YOUR FAULT.” Mark yelled, voice straining.

“NO IT ISN’T!” Mum yelled back.

“YES IT IS! WE’RE BROKE BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU WASTED ALL THAT MONEY ON THAT CAR FOR HIM! YOU BUY HIM AND THE GIRLS ALL THOSE EXPENSIVE CLOTHES! THEY GET WHATEVER THEY WANT! YOU WASTED OUR MONEY!” Mark replied.

I felt my eyes well up… they were fighting because of me… Mum had always spent a bunch of money on me because I was her only son.

“DON’T YOU DARE BRING THE CHILDREN INTO THIS!” Mum all but screamed.

“I’M NOT BRINGING ANYTHING MORE INTO THIS BECAUSE I’M DONE!! I ALREADY HIRED A DIVORCE LAWYER. WE. ARE. DONE.” Mark yelled.

“FINE!” Mum screamed back and then I heard footsteps.

I couldn’t stop the hot tears that rolled down my cheeks. Her footsteps got closer. I heard her sharp intake of breath when she realized I was sitting on the stairs. I stood up quickly, tears pouring down my cheeks, and stared at her.

“Louis…” Mum breathed out.

I shook my head

“It’s all my fault… if I hadn’t wanted all those expensive things.” I choked out.

“No baby! It’s not your fault.” Mum gasped moving towards me.

I held up my hand to stop her. I turned sharply and grabbing my wallet, jumper, and cars keys. Without another word I ran out the front door, through the pouring rain, and to my car ignoring my mother’s pleas for me to come back. I revved the engine and pealed out of the driveway.

I slammed my fist against the steering wheel as I drove. The rain was coming down hard, lightning flashing through the sky, and thunder cracking loudly. Where could I go? I couldn’t go to Zayn’s or Niall’s; they were both out of town for the weekend. I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t have anyone else.

Apparently my hands knew where to go because I found myself pulling up to Marcel’s house. I glanced at the dash clock, 10:30PM, I hoped somebody would be up. I climbed out of the car and walked up to the front door. I knocked three times and then stood back, soaking wet, shivering, and crying… I just couldn’t stop. The door opened suddenly revealing Anne.

“Louis!” Anne gasped and tugged me into the house. “Are you okay sweetheart? Robin come here please!” she called out.

I tried to catch my breath in-between my sobs but it was impossible.

“What is it Anne?” Robin asked approaching us. “Good heavens lad! Are you alright? What happened?”

I couldn’t reply to either of them I just cried harder at the thought of mum and Mark screaming at each other and then the fight ending in the end of their marriage… all because of me. I glanced at the stairs and Anne took note.

“MARCEL!” She called turning towards the stairs.

I heard a door open and a moment later a sleepy looking Marcel came walking down the stairs.

“What mu... Louis?” Marcel questioned looking at me.

I pulled away from Anne’s arm and rushed over to him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. I didn’t give it any thought I just bolted into his arms. My face collided with his chest, which despite it all I noticed was quite firm. I had my arms crossed over my stomach; I stood there just leaning into him. Very slowly I felt his arms wrap around my shoulders with uncertainty.

“Um… what happened to him?” Marcel asked completely confused.

“I don’t know dear, he just showed up and he didn’t say anything when we asked.” Anne replied and I felt her hand on the back of my head, stroking my hair softly with worry.

“Marcel, how about you take him upstairs and get him a change of clothes, I’ll make some tea and bring it up, yeah?” Robin offered.

“Yeah, okay, thanks.” Marcel replied and then nudged me a little. “Come on, let’s go upstairs.”

He kept one arm around my shoulders as we walked upstairs and I kept myself glued to his side. I would probably kick myself over and over again eventually for coming here… for letting him touch me… but I just didn’t have anywhere else to go.

We walked into his bedroom and then he let me go to walk into his closest to find some clothes. Marcel reemerged a moment later with a pair of black sweatpants and a pale green shirt. I took sniffled as I took them from him and walked into the bathroom to change. I looked at myself in the mirror… my eyes were puffy and red… my cheeks were flush and damp… I looked like shit. I felt like shit.

I walked back into the bedroom and saw Marcel sitting on his bed against the headboard, sipping a cup of hot tea that Robin had apparently brought up when I was changing. Slowly I made my way over to the bed and he motioned for me to climb up. Reaching over to his nightstand he picked up the other cup of tea and passed it to me. I took a sip and felt it warm my inside.

“So…” Marcel began then paused setting his tea down and looking at me hesitantly. “D-Do you want to t-talk about it?”

I sighed and handed him my cup to set down. “My mum and stepdad are getting a divorce…”

“Oh, I’m sor-.”

“And it’s all my fault.” I said cutting him off.

“I… um… how is it your fault?” Marcel asked slowly.

“I wanted all these expensive things… the car, clothes, phones, laptops, ipods… everything… and they went broke. Mum lost her job, I don’t know when, but she did and she spent so much money on me and Mark was so furious…” I replied feeling my eyes prickle as I heard their yells in my head.

“Louis… I-It was your mums’ c-choice to buy you those t-things…” Marcel said quietly.

“If I hadn’t wanted them she would have never bought them… she probably felt bad because I’m her only son among the 5 kids that live with her.” I said feeling a hot tear roll down my cheek.

“Or she did it because she loves you and wanted you to be happy.” Marcel stated leaning his head back against his padded leather headboard.

“I guess. It’s still my fault they’re splitting… if I hadn’t wanted those things we wouldn’t be near broke. That’s what they were fighting about tonight. They were yelling about my car and buying expensive clothes for my sisters and I… then Mark just yelled that he was done – that they were over.” I said dropping my head into my hands as my shoulders shook.

I heard a little shuffling and then I felt myself being pulled forward until I came to rest against a firm chest. Marcels’ arms circled around me and he didn’t say anything for the longest time, he just held me. I felt him rub his hand up and down my back cautiously.

After a minute he sighed, “Try and g-get some s-sleep.”

He released me and then moved onto the other side of the bed, switched out the lamp, and pulled the covers up to his chin. I stared at him for a moment. I hadn’t really been expecting him to cuddle me but it almost hurt that he didn’t… why? I don’t know. I crawled under the comforter and turned so my back was facing him. It seemed to take forever but eventually I fell asleep.

I awoke with a jerk a couple hours later, sweating and panicky. I had been dreaming that my parents had gotten a divorce. I sat up and looked around… this was not my room… I glanced to my left and saw a head of curly hair poking out from the covers. Then I remembered that my parents really were getting a divorce and I had gone to Marcel’s house a complete wreck. Once again I felt my eyes burn with tears. It was as though I had an ocean of tears, bent up from years past for whatever reason, I just couldn’t control my crying now. After a lot of internal debating and just longing for a little human contact as comfort, I lay back down and shuffled closer to Marcel until I had my face pressed against his arm. My final thought before falling asleep was that this meant absolutely nothing. It was just me seeking comfort and not having anybody else to go to, I was just using Marcel. If he took it as something else… well that was his problem. If I took it as something else… well… who am I kidding? That’s never going to happen… right?


	10. Chapter 10

*Marcel’s POV*

I woke up and went to stretch only to discover that I was pinned down by something. I slowly looked down and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw none other than Louis Tomlinson sleeping on my chest. I remembered then, him coming over late last night crying and telling me his mum and stepdad were getting a divorce.

I knew that we had been sleeping on opposites sides of the bed however when we went to sleep. That meant at some point during the night Louis had moved closer to me for whatever reason and now he was sleeping on my chest. The sound of his breathing met my ears and I couldn’t help but just watch him sleep. He looked so peaceful now compared to last night… I didn’t want to wake him up. Oh God… what was going to happen when he did wake up!? Would he remember last night and not get angry or is he going to freak out? I felt him shift and I knew my question was about to be answered.

My heart started beating faster as Louis stretched and then froze; apparently he had opened his eyes. Very slowly he lifted his head, looked at me, and then rocketed off of me onto the other side of the bed, nearly falling off.

“Shit…” Louis muttered under his breath.

I watched as he looked down and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that he indeed had his clothes on still… well my clothes on.

“D-Do you want s-something to eat?” I asked not knowing what else to say.

Louis looked up at me and I knew he was thinking about his parents, his eyes growing a bit glossy.

“Yeah, food would be nice.” He finally replied quietly.

I crawled out of bed and raked my fingers through my curls. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Louis watching me as he got up, sniffling a little. I walked around the bed to where he was standing and stopped in front of him. He stiffened a bit and glanced up at me, a single tear rolling down his cheek. I knew it was a mean thought but… I was amazed someone who seemed so heartless was able to cry as much as he had, though he had a very legit reason. Sucking up a little confidence I reached out and gently wiped away the tear with my thumb. God… his skin was so soft…

“Just breathe…” I whispered and then stroked his cheek once more before turning around and heading towards the door.

Louis followed behind with a blank look on his face, but he wasn’t crying. We walked downstairs where I could hear mum moving around in the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone.

“Morning mum.” I greeted sleepily as we walked into the kitchen.

“Morning darling, morning Louis.” She smiled from where she was flipping pancakes.

“Morning.” Louis replied forcing a small smile onto his face.

“Marcel, can you go get Gemma? She’s still up in her room.” Mum requested as she began to remove pancakes from the griddle.

“Sure.” I sighed and cast a quick look at Louis, who was sitting down on one of the island stools, before walking out to get my sister.

“Gem!” I called out knocking on her door. “Gemma!”

“What!?” her muffled voice floated through the door.

“Breakfast is done; get up, mum’s orders!” I called to her.

I heard her bed squeak and then a moment later the door opened revealing Gemma tying her hair up in a messy bun, still dressed in her sleep shorts and tank top. We walked back downstairs and found mum serving up a plate of food to Louis. I sat down next to him with Gemma on my other side as mum served us each a plate. I hummed as I took a bite of pancake and found she had put chocolate chips in them, my favorite with syrup and fresh strawberries on top.

“Where’s Robin at?” Gemma asked picking up her glass of orange juice.

“He had to work today, said he probably won’t be back until late.” Mum answered sitting down a cross from us.

“He works a lot.” Gemma commented.

“I know, but he just wants us to be happy and comfortable.” Mum replied with a little shrug.

I saw Louis stiffen some beside me… oh… parents. I caught my mum’s eye and shook my head as subtly as I could to let her know to drop this subject. She gave me a little frown and I glanced at Louis quickly. Thankfully she understood my unspoken message and changed the subject… kinda.

“So what are you all up to today?” She asked looking at each of us.

“Uh, I thought I would go see Macy and Tara since I’m in town.” Gemma answered before popping another bite of food into her mouth.

Mum nodded her head and then turned to me, “What about you dear?”

“I’m not really sure…” I said stealing another glance at Louis.

“Oh, well… what about you Louis?” Mum asked turning to him.

“I… um… I don’t really kn-…” Louis started but was cut off by his phone ringing… I hadn’t even noticed he brought it downstairs.

“Hello?” – “I’m fine…” – “I’m over at Marcel’s.” – “Stop yelli-…” – “Mum! Stop!” Louis quickly pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up without another word.

I could tell he was on the verge of losing it again. I looked at mum and Gemma who were just staring at him… mum with a worried look and Gemma with a quirked eyebrow.

“Louis, darling, are you alright?” Mum finally asked quietly.

Louis didn’t reply he just shook his head and then hurried out of the kitchen.

“Marcel…” Mum began and I looked over at her from the kitchen doorway.

“His mum and stepdad are getting a divorce.” I stated quietly and then stood up. “I guess I’ll go check on him.”

Mum had a saddened look on her face and I heard her gasp something that sounded like ‘that poor lad’. I walked upstairs and to my bedroom where I thought Louis would be but when I looked in he wasn’t there. With a frown I walked down the hall and stopped when I heard a shuffling inside the music room. The door was opened just a crack so instead of walking in I peaked inside.

Louis was sitting on the black beanbag with a notebook and pencil in hand. His hand moved quickly on the paper, occasionally lifting to wipe his cheek. I stood there silently watching through the crack. When the a/c came on I saw him shiver and glance up at the vent but then resume his writing. I backed away from the door and walked back to my room. Inside, I grabbed one of my soft jumpers before going back to the music room.

I quietly pushed open the door and walked in. Louis glanced up when he saw me coming towards him. I held out the jumper and he took it from me without saying a word. I offered him a tight smile and then walked back out, closing the door all but a crack. Looking back through the door I could see Louis pulling the jumper over his head and then picking the pencil back up.

A couple seconds later I went back downstairs where mum and Gemma were talking and washing dishes.

“How’s Louis?” Mum asked looking over at me.

“He’s okay… he’s in the music room, writing. Just like… try not to mention anything involving parents around him.” I said draining the last bit of juice in my glass before handing it to Gemma.

“Of course dear, make sure you tell him he can stay as long as he needs to.” Mum replied.

“Okay.” I nodded and then walked away.

Thirty minutes later, I was in my room when I heard a soft knock on the door.

“Come in.” I called out from my spot on my bed where I was reading.

Louis pushed open the door and walked in, still in my hoodie, with the notebook in his hand.

“Hey… um… I think I finished the song.” Louis said sitting on the edge of the bed and handing me the open notebook.

I took it from him and read over the neatly printed words. It was perfect. It completed the song.

“It’s perfect.” I said looking up at him with a small smile.

“You think so?” Louis asked pulling his legs up to sit cross legged.

“Yeah, I t-think the lyrics are d-done.” I nodded, mentally slapping myself as I stuttered… I really needed to stop that.

“Thanks.” Louis muttered looking down at his hands.

We sat there for a moment in rather awkward silence before Louis spoke again.

“I better head home… my sisters are probably back by now and who knows what’s going on there.” He said standing up. “Um… thanks for last night…”

“S’alright… I guess I’ll see you l-later so we c-can start working on p-performing the s-song.” I stuttered out.

“Right. Bye.” Louis stated and once he grabbed his car keys and wallet he walked out the door.

I picked my book back up and tried to start reading again but my mind kept wondering to Louis. I had never seen so much hurt in someone’s eyes before, except maybe my own, maybe. I couldn’t get the image of him sleeping on my chest out of my head or how soft his skin had felt under my thumb.

I couldn’t help but wonder how soft the rest of him would be… his chest… his back… his thighs… his bum. I shook my head; I definitely needed to stop thinking about his body before I got aroused. Glancing down I groaned quietly… too late.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*Louis’ POV*

I entered my house and was greeted by silence other than the faint sound of someone shuffling around in the master bedroom. Slowly I walked towards the bedroom and poked my head into the room. Mark was moving around, grabbing his things, and loading them into boxes and a suitcase. He glanced over apparently feeling someone watching him and his face softened some when he saw me.

“Hey Louis, come in.” He said giving me a small smile.

I walked into the room and glanced at the boxes sitting on the bed. This was definitely real… they were getting a divorce.

“So, this is really happening?” I half questioned half stated as I moved to sit on the edge of the king bed in the middle of the room.

“Afraid so.” Mark replied walking over to sit next to me. “Look Louis, your mum told me you heard us fighting last night and… I don’t blame it on you… I really don’t. I was just angry and digging for something to throw at her.”

I glanced over at him and then turned my eyes to the ground. It didn’t matter what he said, I knew damn well this was my fault.

“Please don’t blame this on yourself Lou… this has nothing to do with you. People just… people just fall out of love sometimes. Not everybody gets their happily ever after on the first try or the second sometimes.” Mark said draping his arm over my shoulders. “Trust me Lou; I love you and your little sisters. I’ll still be there for you five, just 20 minutes away.”

“Mk. Love you too.” I sighed resting my head back against his shoulder, feeling a bit like a little kid.

“Wanna help me pack?” Mark asked roughing up my hair. “Or is that too much…?”

I looked around the room and towards the closet; he had a lot of stuff to pack.

“Sure, I’ll help…” I answered standing up and moving towards the wardrobe.

We worked packing boxes for an hour before stopping to take a break. Out in the kitchen Mark set the kettle on the stove with some water to make tea while I sat at the breakfast bar. After a couple minutes I became aware that Mark was staring at me… well not so much ‘me’ as the jumper I was wearing.

“I don’t remember ever seeing that jumper before.” Mark said looking up to my face.

“I… uh… it’s not mine. It’s um… you know that guy I have the school project with?” I asked and he nodded. “That’s where I went last night, it’s his. He leant it to me this morning because it was a bit chilly in their house.”

“You went there? I thought you didn’t like the lad?” Mark questioned moving to take the kettle off the stove as it whistled.

“I don’t like him. At all.” I said but if I’m being honest… I didn’t feel in conviction in my words… even though I desperately wanted to them to be true and still very much believed them to be true. “I just didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I went the one place that I knew I would be mostly welcome.”

“Mostly welcomed?” Mark glanced at me from where he was putting up bit of milk into my cup.

“Yeah, Marcel doesn’t like me and neither does his sister, though she’s only here for the week. His mum and stepdad are quite nice though.” I replied with a small sigh.

“So… you don’t like him? Not at all?” Mark asked setting my tea in front of me with a curious look.

“Nope.” I answered sipping my tea.

“Why?” He asked leaning against the counter with his own cup.

“Because he’s the school nerd… he wears these horrid sweater vests and these massive nerd glasses… he doesn’t fit in with my group of people.” I said like it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

Mark chuckled and shook his head at me. “And when he’s at home and you’ve been there…?”

I swallowed and looked down at my cup, swirling the liquid a bit. Finally I let out a loud sigh and chanced a glance at Mark. He was still leaning against the counter… just staring at me… waiting for my answer.

“Totally different person… he’s got curly hair and he’s got tattoos. I don’t understand why he hides that fit body under those clothes and hair gel!” I ranted a little then clapped my hand over my mouth realizing what I just said… fuck I just told Mark that Marcel has a fit body.

“I agree, Louis, you don’t like him at all.” Mark chuckled walking out of the kitchen with his tea, leaving me red in the face.

Oh God… what had I just said… I couldn’t possibly…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next week of school dragged on, just like the last week, only not full of fighting at home. Mark had finished packing his things and moved into a flat 20 minutes away from us. Mum had managed to find another job working for a hospital. I knew she wasn’t making as much as she had been, so it wasn’t much of a shock when she began to talk about putting the house on the market.

I still felt like a lot of this was my fault. I couldn’t help but lie in bed at night and think that if I hadn’t gotten so many expensive things we might not even be in this mess. Mark had assured me that it wasn’t my fault but I just couldn’t help but feel that it was.

Thankfully, Marcel hadn’t brought up the subject of my parents when I had gone over to his house Tuesday so we could begin practicing the song to perform it in front of the class. Anne and Gemma had come into the room and listened to us play through it once, both applauding when we finished. I had been fully aware of Gemma’s gaze on me while we ran through the song and while we ate dinner later on. I figured she knew I was the one harassing Marcel, but that didn’t stop me from doing it. In fact, I had harassed the nerdy lad quite a lot this week, making him run away near tears a few times and just narrowly avoiding being slammed into a brick wall by Liam.

I know you would think I would lay off of Marcel since he had something hanging over my head that he could easily use to ruin me. Nobody ever saw me cry, but he had… a lot. But honestly I’m not even sure the thought of blackmail ever entered his head.

After my chat with Mark about not liking Marcel, I had felt the need to take every jab I possibly could at Marcel. I had also been to Eleanor’s house twice this week to distract me from even thinking about remotely liking Marcel. The issue with that? I always ended up imagining his large soft hand wrapped around me – pumping me to my climax. That resulted in me going over to Vanessa’s house looking for another distraction.

“How many times have you gotten it this week mate?” Zayn asked with a smirk on his face as we entered the cafeteria for lunch of Friday.

“Eh… four.” I replied picking up a tray.

“Tommo you’re getting some serious action!” Niall exclaimed clapping me on the back.

“Yeah, well, who doesn’t want a piece of this?” I replied gesturing to my own body.

“Perrie better not.” Zayn muttered looking past me and then smiling.

I turned and saw Perrie walking over in her cheer outfit with her blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail.

“Hey babe.” Zayn greeted reaching out to tug the petite girl to his side.

I smiled at the two of them. They had only been dating a few days but they were cute as fuck together and it was so clear they were falling hard for each other.

“Hey Lou, something nerdy this way comes.” Niall said nudging my shoulder.

I glanced past him and saw Marcel walking towards the lunch line with Jessica at his side. I watched as she leaned closer to him and said something. Something inside me growled when I saw him give her a dimpled smile and laugh at whatever she said.

“Whoa… you alright there mate?” Niall asked coming into my view.

“What?” I asked shaking my head.

“You look ready to kill them…” Niall chuckled as we continued down the lunch line.

“I was just thinking…” I replied then looked at Zayn on my other side. “Are you still having that party tonight Z?”

“Duh, why, you are still coming right?” Zayn asked as the lunch lady gave him a slice of pizza.

“Course. The Tommo does not miss parties.” I scoffed. “I was thinking we should invite the nerd and his two loser friends… seems like the perfect opportunity to embarrass them.”

Zayn quirked an eyebrow at me and smirked, “What have you got planned Louis?”

“Haven’t figured that out yet… we need to get them to come first.” I replied handing over money to pay for my lunch.

“You know they won’t if we ask them.” Zayn said as we walked towards our usual table where the rest of the footie team sat.

“I know how!” Niall smiled setting his tray down. “We get Dani to ask Liam… there’s no way he’ll say no to her.”

We all stared at each other with smug faces. It was so obvious that Liam was pinning over Danielle, one of Eleanor’s cheerleader friends. Niall was right; there was no way Liam was going to say no to Dani.

“Dani!” Niall called out as some of the cheerleaders walked by.

The slender, curly haired girl pulled away from the group and walked over all smiles as usual.

“Hello boys’.” She greeted standing in front of us.

“We need a favor.” Niall smiled and she gestured for him to continue. “We need you to get Liam Payne, the nerd, and Jessica Tybee to come to Zayn’s party tonight. Figure you’re the best person for the job since Payne’s been pinning over you since school started.”

“I think I can manage that.” Danielle replied glancing over to where Liam was sitting with Marcel and Jessica. “Least he’s cute. Later boys”

We watched as she walked with a dancers grace over to their table and sat down in the seat beside Liam. I heard Niall sputter with laughter as Liam’s eyes grew big when Dani rested a hand on his arm. We watched as she talked to them, smiling and laughing. Eventually she took a napkin and wrote down something on a piece of paper and handed it to Liam. With a smile and cute wave she got up and walked back towards us. As she walked by she gave us a discreet thumb up and winked. Mission complete.

I looked back at Niall and Zayn with an evil smirk, “Lads I do believe tonight is going to be very interesting.”

They returned my smirk and nodded in agreement. I glanced over my shoulder at Marcel, seeing him talking with his two friends… Oh… he doesn’t even know what’s coming. After tonight, if I came up with something good, Marcel will be the laughing stock of the entire school.


	11. Chapter 11

*Marcel’s POV*

I stood in the mirror in my bedroom and looked over the outfit that Liam had picked out for me. He had found a pair of black jeans in my closest that I hadn’t worn in ages and it was very obvious seeing how they were so dang tight. Liam had also tossed me a white three quarter length sleeve shirt that hid my tattoos. My hair was gelled like normal; I had refused to just let my hair be its naturally curly self, which would only get me laughed at even more. I didn’t have on my glasses though, Liam had convinced me to wear my rarely used contacts.

I couldn’t understand why Liam had said we would all go to Zayn Malik’s party. Well, actually, that’s not true, I knew why he agreed. It was because Danielle asked him and he’s got a massive crush on her. Liam was no match for her doe eyes, batting eye lashes, and white smile; therefore… he agreed we would attend.

“Marce, are you ready?” Jessica asked walking into the room with a glass of water.

“About as ready as I’m ever going to be.” I muttered picking up my black jacket and slipping it on.

“You look hot. If I weren’t straight I’d totally be into you.” Liam chuckled clapping me on the back.

“Shove off.” I grumbled pushing him away from me.

“Oh come on, surely it won’t be that bad. We’ll just stick together and avoid the arse and his minions.” Liam said as we walked out of my room.

I let out a ‘hmph’ and walked down the stairs with them following me, wiggling my toes in my brown boots when I got to the bottom of the stairs. I hadn’t worn these in a long time too.

“You kids heading out now?” Mum asked appearing from the living room.

“Yeah, I’m not really sure when we’ll be back, we’ll try not to be too late.” I said sighing heavily.

“That’s okay, have fun sweetheart, be safe.” She smiled kissing my on the cheek then patting it.

We waved goodbye and headed out to my car, Liam in the front seat and Jessica in the back. I followed the directions Danielle had given us to get to Zayn’s house and 10 minutes later we were pulling up to a large home with a large circular drive filled with cars.

We climbed out of the car and headed to the front door. The music was so loud in the house we could hear it even from where I had parked. We walked in with a few other people from school and I felt Jessica latch onto my arm.

“Shit…” She muttered. “There are a lot of people here.”

“Just stay together, yeah?” Liam said standing close to us.

My eyes moved over the room. All of the people were from school and most of them were holding red solo cups in their hands, no doubt filled with something alcoholic. People were grinding against each other in time with the loud thump of the bass filled music.

“Liam!” I heard a female voice ring out just barely over the noise.

Turning I saw Danielle walking over to us in a black dress that stopped mid-thigh and hugged her like a second skin.

“H-Hey.” Liam replied nervously as Danielle moved to hug him.

“I’m so glad you could make it… all of you!” Danielle smiled looking at all of us when she pulled back from the hug.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” I lied with a smile forced onto my lips.

“Come dance Li!” Danielle said tugging on Liam’s arm, who was now blushing a little.

“Yeah. Yeah, sure.” Liam replied and my eyes bulged… well so much for sticking together!

I watched with Jessica as the two made their way into the crowd of people that had turned the living room into a dance floor.

“Come on.” Jessica shouted over the music.

We walked through the swarm of people and eventually made it to the dining room which was set up as a bar. I recognized a guy from my math class named, Josh, standing behind the table mixing drinks for people.

“Let’s get a drink.” Jessica said pulling me towards the table.

“What? You know I don’t drink.” I replied pulling her back.

“Now why doesn’t that surprise me!?” A voice rang out from behind me and I tensed.

Turning around I was greeted by none other than Louis with Niall at his side.

“Let me guess, mummy told you drinking was bad so you don’t… aw how precious!” Louis cooed with a pouty face causing Niall to laugh.

“No, that’s n-not it. I j-just don’t d-drink.” I said looking for a way to get away from them.

“Bullshit.” Louis scoffed stepping a little closer. “If it’s not because of mummy then go ahead… get a drink mommy’s boy.”

“S’ the matter Marcel, chicken?” Niall slurred out before bringing his cup to his lips.

“N-No.” I answered wishing I had just stayed home… stupid Liam.

“Then have a drink nerd.” Louis said pushing me towards the table. “Aye Josh, mix him a good one!”

I glanced at Josh who nodded his head as he handed a drink to Jessica. I didn’t even know she drank! A moment later a cup was being thrust into my hands. Looking down, I swirled the liquid in the cup.

“Go on then momma’s boy… drink up!” Louis smirked looking like he knew I wouldn’t do it.

I don’t know where it came from but I suddenly got a surge of confidence. Glancing up at him and then back down at the cup, I did what was probably the stupidest thing ever… I brought it to my lips and tipped it back. The liquor burned my throat as I swallowed a large portion of the drink that taste a little like apples. Pulling the cup away I looked back at Louis who looked rather surprised.

Louis looked over at Niall who was staring intently at Jessica. I had to admit my best friend cleaned up well. She was dressed in tight, dark blue skinny jeans and a snug pink v-neck shirt. Her makeup was done impeccably and her hair was lying in curls over her shoulders. Even though I’m gay, she was undoubtedly pretty.

Looking back down at the rest of the drink in my hand I sighed, well… there was really no turning back now. I brought the cup to my lips and tipped back the rest of the drink. Pulling it away I caught sight of Louis smirking at Niall for whatever reason and then motioning for Josh to give me something else. Josh took my cup from me and held it under the keg tap, filling it most of the way with beer before adding a shot of tequila into the cup. I didn’t really taste much; I just felt the alcohol burn my throat as I took a swallow.

The song playing changed, Booty Wurk by T-Pain filling the air. A sudden urge to dance hit me so I looked at Louis one more time before grabbing Jessica’s hand and hauling her to the living room where others were grinding up on each other. It was safe to say that the alcohol I had consumed so quickly was starting to influence me.

Jessica and I stayed on the ‘dance floor’ for a couple more songs before we were interrupted by a very drunk Niall.

“Mind if I cut in?” He slurred out smiling at me and then Jessica.

“No, see you in a bit Marce.” Jessica beamed and then took Niall’s extended hand.

Well… this definitely isn’t ‘sticking together’, I thought to myself as I moved through the crowd of people. I glanced down at my cup and saw it was pretty much empty. Deciding against another drink I tossed my cup in the trash can. I definitely didn’t want to go home drunk, I only had a bit of a buzz right now so I still knew what was going on.

Looking around I tried to find a place that wasn’t crowded with people. I spotted Jessica and Niall pressed close to each other, moving in time with the beat, both of them looking nothing but happy. A few feet away from them were Liam and Danielle, wrapped up in each other like no one else existed. Then I spotted Louis with Eleanor pressed up against him, her back to his chest, her hips grinding into him. The sight made my stomach clench for some reason other than the impossible one that I was jealous. This was really not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be at home with a book, reading or in my music room practicing our project song.

Moving around my smashed classmates I walked through the kitchen and discovered the house had a second staircase. I climbed up a few steps, out of everyone’s view, and sat down. Resting my head against the wall I closed my eyes, wishing I was home and out of these ridiculously tight pants and shirt that was drooping enough to show my swallow tattoos.

I don’t know how long I had been sitting there before I felt a body drop down beside me. Opening my eyes I was shocked to find Louis next to me… a completely smashed Louis. He gave me a drunken smile and then leaned over to rest his head on my shoulder.

“W-What are y-you doing?” I asked nervously.

“Sooo many people.” Louis slurred out. “Needed a breakkkkk.”

I didn’t say anything. Louis pulled his head away a minute later and looked at me, his eyes taking on an unreadable emotion. I flinched back when he brought his hand to my face and bopped me on the nose lightly.

“You don’t have on glasses.” Louis said squinting at me in the dim staircase, the only light coming from the kitchen. “S’ hot.”

My eyes widened at his words. Had Louis just called me hot? I gave him a weak smile and he immediately shifted his gaze to my mouth. Reaching out again he poked one of my cheeks.

“You’ve got dimples…” He said in a breathy voice and I thought for sure I was going to combust because if that wasn’t the hottest thing ever…

Louis dropped his hand, only this time he let it drop onto my thigh. I could feel his thumb rubbing back and forth over the tight black material of my jeans.

“W-what are y-you…?” I started but Louis lifted his other hand and placed it over my mouth to silence me.

He pulled his hand away slowly and then moved closer. I swallowed thickly as he grabbed my left hand and pulled it up and around so it was draped over his shoulders as he shuffled up against my side. I felt heat creep up my neck… how drunk was he? If he remembers this in the morning he’s going to kill me.

To my utter shock he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, hot breaths dancing across my skin, giving me goose bumps.

“Hmm… you smell good.” Louis muttered pressing his nose against my neck causing my breath to hitch.

We sat like that for probably ten minutes before Louis pulled away some. I turned to look at him and saw him reaching up with his left hand again. He traced his fingertips across my cheek and down my jaw.

“L-Louis… w-what are y-you d-doing?” I stuttered, watching as his eyes scanned over my face then landed on my lips.

“You’re so fucking hot…” Louis muttered and then he was moving closer.

My eyes went wide and I tried to back away but Louis, even drunk, apparently recognized my intentions removed his hand from my thigh and grasped the back of my neck so I couldn’t move. We were just an inch apart and I could feel his warm breath cascading over my lips. Louis tilted his head a little to the left and then surged forward, molding his lips to mine.

My eyes snapped shut and I held in a moan as I felt his lips move against my own. They were thin, warm, and soft. My skin tingled where his hand was still resting on my neck, holding me to him. He pulled away slowly and our eyes opened, some unnamed emotion still floating around in his.

“Shit…” Louis breathed out tracing the thumb of his left hand over my bottom lip.

Before I realized it he was moving forward again, connecting our lips once more. This time he placed his left hand on my chest and pushed so I was lay back against the steps. He moved so he was partly hovering over me, right hand holding the back of my head. Our lips moved feverishly against each other as he pressed hard against me. My eyes were sealed shut, reveling in the feeling. I knew I should push him off and leave but I couldn’t convince myself to do it, my mind just cloudy enough from the alcohol.

The kiss wound down to lazy pecks before Louis pulled away completely. He stared at me for a moment and then stood up at the sound of someone calling out his name. Without a word he walked away. I let out a long breath that I didn’t realize I had been holding. Reaching up I touched my swollen lips, they were still tingling.

I couldn’t shove the feeling as I sat in my car outside of Zayn’s house, waiting for Liam and Jessica to join me. Louis’ lips had felt so good against mine and his simple touch had left me wanting for so much more. His lips had been just as soft as I had imagined them and now that I knew how soft his hands were against my skin I wanted them everywhere on me. The thought shocked me because I had never really taken much interest in… physical things… sexual things… but Louis made me want everything.

I knew it was absolutely stupid of me to even me thinking about it. There was absolutely no way Louis would ever touch me sober. That thought was sobering… Louis was drunk, completely smashed, he probably didn’t know who he was kissing and he probably wouldn’t remember kissing anybody in the morning. It would be as though it had never happened.

A tap on my window brought me out of my thoughts. Turning I saw a guy I didn’t recognize standing beside my car. I pressed the button for the window to go down, giving him a questioning look when it was down.

“Hey mate, I’m Tony, I’m new here and I was wondering if it would be possible to get a ride, my sister left without telling me.” The guy said looking a bit nervous.

“I g-guess so. I’m w-waiting for my f-friends to come out t-though.” I replied taking him in.

He was probably a little shorter than me with black hair, hazel eyes, and soft features.

“Thanks man, what’s your name?” He asked moving back so I could get out of the car after putting my window up.

“Marcel.” I replied giving him a tight smile.

“Oh I heard some of the guys talking about you! They all call you the nerd or something?” Tony said leaning against my car.

I grimaced as I noticed he was wearing a belt with metal on it… I didn’t want my car scratched.

“Yeah, that’s what they call me… that or any other name they can think of.” I replied my eyes still trained on the belt that was just too close to my flawless black paint job.

Tony seemed to take notice of my stare and moved away from the car, “All you had to do was tell me to move, my sister is the same way with her Audi.” He chuckled. “Why do they call you names? Is it like a crime to be smart here?”

“Or gay.” I muttered looking at him.

“Well… I’m fucked either way then aren’t I!?” Tony laughed, his mouth pulling into a full white smile.

I raised my eyebrows at him in question and he just smiled.

“Yeah mate, I’m straight A’s and gay.” He said shoving his hands in his pockets.

I couldn’t help but smile, “I think we’ll get along just fine. Let’s go fine my friends, you’ll like them.”

Tony nodded his head and we walked back up to the house. Inside, the party was slowing down a bit and people were staggering out with their sober friends to head home. We walked through the house, Tony asking me random questions about the school and people, until we found Liam and Jessica.

“Are you guys ready to go?” I asked approaching them.

“Marce! Fuck where have you been, we’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Jessica slurred, slapping my shoulder.

“I text you both.” I replied directing her towards the front door.

“I was talking to Dani, I didn’t notice.” Liam said catching Jessica as she stumbled a bit. “Who’s this?” he asked gesturing to Tony.

“Tony Swift, just moved here at the beginning of the week.” Tony greeted holding out his hand to Liam.

“Liam Payne and this is Jessica Tybee. You aren’t related to Taylor Swift are you?” Liam asked.

“I am, I was living with our dad but wanted a change so I moved in with her and our mum.” Tony explained as we walked down the drive.

Taylor had been a senior when the rest of us were sophomores. She was blonde, perky, and smart. She had been head cheerleader and the most popular girl.

We climbed into the car, me taking the passenger seat, handing Liam my keys since he hadn’t drunk anything.

“Where do you live mate?” Liam asked glancing at Tony in the rearview mirror.

“High Ritz, I thought you guys knew my sister.” He laughed as Jessica slumped down onto his shoulder with a groan.

“Forgot.” Liam shrugged.

We pulled into my neighborhood shortly and followed Tony’s orders of where to turn, soon pulling up to a large brick home.

“You live really close to me.” I said as Liam put the car in park.

“Yeah?” Tony questioned looking at me.

“My driveway is 5 down to the left.” I pointed in the direction.

“I’ll have to visit sometime then, maybe tomorrow?” Tony smiled undoing his seatbelt.

“Sure, stop by whenever.” I smiled and he nodded.

“Bye, thanks for the ride.” Tony said then hopped out of the car, waving as he walked to his front door.

Back at my house we pulled Jessica out of the car and hauled her up to my room, thankfully my mum, Robin, and Gemma were already asleep. We laid her down on a blow up mattress. Liam settled on another one and I crawled into my bed.

Moments later I heard snores coming from my two friends but I couldn’t fall asleep. My mind was occupied with thoughts of Louis and his lips and Tony. He was good looking, no denying it, and he was super friendly but even then I couldn’t picture myself snuggling with him like I could with Louis. I just wanted Louis… I didn’t even know why though. He bullied me… he hurts me… he hates me… but there’s just something about him that makes me want him… so badly. Sighing I turned onto my side and closed my eyes… I was so screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Taylor's brothers name is Austin, but I had already decided on Tony and him being related to Taylor in the story just kinda happened.


	12. Chapter 12

***Louis’ POV***

I groaned as I rolled off one of the air mattresses Zayn had put in his bedroom for Niall and me to crash on after the party. My head was pounding and my mouth felt void of all moisture. Stumbling down to the kitchen I found Niall with his cheek pressed against the cold marble counter top.

“Can’t believe you’re up.” I mumbled shuffling over to start a kettle for tea.

“Shhhhhh.” Niall groaned keeping his eyes closed.

I started to chuckle but the pounding in my head made me groan instead. Pulling down two cups I poured the boiling water in them and dropped in the tea bags before moving over to the cabinet where Zayn kept a bottle of pills for this very reason… hangovers.

Niall and I swallowed down the pills with our tea and then moved to the living room to wait for the medicine to kick in. An hour later Zayn shuffled downstairs, made himself a cuppa, and then joined us on the sofa.

“Do either of you remember anything about last night?” Zayn asked sipping his tea slowly.

“I remember dancing with a really pretty strawberry blonde but otherwise no, not really.” Niall replied leaning his head back against the cushions.

“I remember having Josh give the nerd that strong drink.” I laughed remembering the nerdy lad stuttering over why he didn’t drink. “I can’t believe he actually drank it.”

“Hey! I remember that! He was with the strawberry blonde girl!” Niall exclaimed suddenly and I gave him a bewildered look.

“That means that’s who you danced with Niall! Oh my gosh you danced with one of Marcel’s friends!” I said before starting to crack up with Zayn.

“Shut up…” Niall mumbled. “She’s really pretty and she was a really good dancer.”

Zayn and I stifled our laughter and stared at best mate.

“You like her don’t you?” Zayn asked and Niall blushed.

“I… well… I mean yeah I guess so it’s just she hangs out with Marcel and like she would never date me since we harass him.” Niall said as a darker blush crept up onto his cheeks.

“You never know until you try Nialler.” Zayn replied shifting in his seat so he could face the Irish lad.

“Yeah, like maybe you could just not be around when we mess with him…” I suggested sensing that Niall actually liked this girl even though she wasn’t popular.

“Yeah maybe.” Niall shrugged and sipped at his tea.

“I feel like something else happened last night…” I said frowned down at my cup.

“Like what?” Zayn asked looking over at me.

“I don’t really know… I don’t think it was anything bad. It’s like its right there but I can’t grab it to remember.” I replied shaking my head.

“It’ll probably come to you when you least expect it.” Niall said patting my back.

I nodded my head, he was probably right; it was going to hit me all of a sudden… I just hoped it was a good memory.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next week of school passed and finally it was Friday once more. I stood in the hallway between classes next to Marcel’s locker. Zayn and I had been harassing him all week about the party and how one or two drinks didn’t prove that he wasn’t a momma’s boy. Each time I spoke to him he acted strange… stranger than normal. I couldn’t figure out why and Zayn didn’t have a clue either.

“It’s about time.” I huffed when Marcel finally stalked up to his locker and spun the combination.

“W-What do you want Louis?” Marcel sighed placing his books into the locker and pulled out the one’s he needed for our last 2 classes.

“To come over after school, we need to run through our song so we can perform it next Friday. Ms. Brooks said if we finish and perform next week there’s a bit of extra credit and we know you’d never miss a chance at extra credit nerd.” I said leaning against the locker next to his with a smirk.

“Right. S-So after school y-yeah? I’ll m-meet you at my h-house just park in the second b-bay like always.” Marcel replied closing his locker and then walking away.

Something pulled inside me as he walked towards his next class. I don’t know what it was but whatever it was seemed to be trying to tell me something. The drunken memory from last Friday’s party still hadn’t revealed itself to me but there was no way in hell that it had something to do with Marcel and if it did it definitely couldn’t be good…

After school I stopped by Zayn’s car where he was leaning against it smoking and chatting with Niall.

“I swear Zayn, she’s perfect. I can’t believe I’ve wasted almost half the school year thinking she was like that nerd.” Niall was going on about Jessica no doubt.

He hadn’t been hanging around whenever Zayn and I would harass Marcel and during lunch he would often talk to Jessica until Marcel arrived in the lunch room. I had to admit, they looked really good together.

“Talking about your dream girl Nialler?” I smiled talking up to stand next to them.

“Mate, she is amazing. She’s nothing like that nerd and she can hold her liquor!” He said grasping my shoulders and shaking me.

“Why not ask her out then?” Zayn asked as he casually brought his cig to his lips.

Niall shrugged and looked a little sheepish, “M’afraid she’ll say no.”

“Niall, just go for it… you’ve got nothing to lose, but everything to gain.” I said giving him a little nudge.

“Yeah I suppose. So Tommo, are you coming to hang with us?” Niall said turning to look at me expectantly.

“Uh no, I’m heading over to Marcel’s so we can practice are song so we can perform it next Friday and be done. Then I won’t have to see his loser self anymore than I have to.” I replied digging my keys out of my pocket.

“Alright, well text us later mate.” Zayn said stubbing out his cig.

I called out a goodbye as I head over to my car and jumped in. Driving over to Marcel’s house I listened to Ed Sheeran’s ‘The A Team’ and hummed along as I drove. Soon I was pulling up to the large house that was now familiar and parking in the second bay just like I always did unless Marcel’s stepdad was home. Walking up to the front door I rang the door bell and waited for the door to be opened.

Marcel opened it a moment later wearing a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a snug black shirt. He moved aside so I could walk in, giving me a somewhat awkward look. What was going on with him lately?

“Y-You can go a-ahead up to the room, mum m-made us some snacks, I’ll j-just grab them and b-be right there.” Marcel stuttered and then hurried off towards the kitchen.

Rolling my eyes, I slipped off my jacket and shoes, hanging the jacket on the wall hook. I padded up the stairs and to the music room where Marcel had obviously already been. Carefully taking the red wine Gibson guitar of its wall hanger I sat down with my chords and lyrics sheet and began strumming the song.

Marcel walked into the room a moment later holding a plate of chocolate cookies and two bottles of water. He set down one of the bottles next to me and placed the plate on the low table near the beanbags before sitting down at his piano.

“Hey you’re not wearing your glasses?” I commented suddenly noticing the lack of atrocious eyewear on his pretty face.

Oh God… ‘pretty face’… what is wrong with me? I mentally slapped myself.

“Oh um y-yeah… c-contacts.” Marcel replied glancing over at me before shuffling with sheets of paper.

“If you have those then why do you wear those awful glasses?” I asked and mentally cursed myself because why the fuck did I care… I didn’t care… I don’t care.

“J-Just always f-felt more c-comfortable with g-glasses I g-guess.” He answered running his fingers down the piano keys.

God his fingers were so long… they would probably feel so good in… NO. Absolutely not. I refuse to start thinking that shit right now. I couldn’t even get laid without thinking about this bloody nerd; I sure as hell wasn’t going to think about him when I wasn’t aroused. I hate him.

“Well you wouldn’t look quite as bad if you’d just wear contacts.” I commented and seriously somebody please put duck tape over my mouth!

“T-Thanks… I g-guess.” Marcel said with a blush creeping up onto his cheeks.

He cleared his throat and rubbed his hands down his thighs before placing them back on the proper keys for the song. My focus was so much on his thighs that I almost missed my cue to start playing. Shaking myself from my less than clean thoughts I began to play with him.

We got through the song almost flawlessly.

A knock at the door startled Marcel and caused him to play the wrong key causing me to choke back a laugh. The door opened and Anne walked in all smiles.

“Oh hello Louis, nice to see you dear.” Anne smiled down at me.

“You too.” I replied wondering if she had been expecting someone else to be in here.

“Sorry to interrupt you boys before dinner, but Marce I wanted to know if Tony was still coming over tomorrow?” Anne asked looking over at Marcel.

“Yeah, I think so, he didn’t say otherwise when I talked to him. Why?” Marcel questioned and I sat silent and confused. Who the hell was Tony?

“Robin has a business trip and they’re letting spouses come along and we haven’t really been out of town lately so I’ve decided to go along. We’re leaving tomorrow morning so I was going to go ahead and prepare something for you and Tony to have for lunch.” Anne explained.

“Oh, you don’t have to; mum you know I can cook.” Marcel replied and my eyebrow arched. “How long are you guys going to be gone?”

“We’ll be back Sunday night and I know lovely but I want to.” Anne smiled then looked between us. “The song is coming along beautifully by the way, definitely top grade material.”

And with that she walked out, calling over her shoulder that dinner would be ready at six thirty. I was about to ask who Tony was but didn’t get a chance. Marcel went back to playing on the piano, a little smile now present on his face. And something inside me didn’t like that… it didn’t like it one bit.

That night I found myself tossing and turning in my bed, trying desperately but failing to fall asleep. I couldn’t understand it. The thought of Marcel actually having another guy over bugged me. That damn smile that had curled onto the taller boys lips angered me. Why did I even give a shit? This nerdy loser didn’t mean anything to me!

Glancing over at my clock I saw it was 11:30. Groaning I shifted onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. This was completely crazy, I was lying in my bed, unable to sleep, and thinking about a guy that I didn’t even like. After another 30 minutes of just lying there I finally decided that I would go over to Marcel’s later on tomorrow. I could easily use the excuse that I wanted to run through the song again. If this Tony guy was still there, well then so be it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Saturday morning I woke up to the smell of pancakes, bacon, and maple syrup. Pulling on a pair of joggers I walked downstairs and into the kitchen where mum and the girls sat helping themselves to the food.

“Morning Lou.” Mum greeted me as I sat down.

“Morning.” I sighed out forking three pancakes onto my plate.

“What are you doing today?” Mum asked looking over at me.

“Nothing really, just going to head over to Marcel’s place later on to practice our project song and maybe do a piano lesson.” I replied and then froze, shit I wasn’t supposed to mention that.

“Piano lesson? You never told me you were getting piano lessons… sweetheart we don’t have the money…” Mum started but I cut her off.

“I’m not paying him… um I guess it’s kinda like a trade. He plays piano and I play guitar so he teaches me and then I’ll teach him.” I explained already intending on not teaching him.

Soon as our project was done I was so done with him. I needed to get away from him other than at school.

“Well that’s sweet of him. He sounds like a nice lad; you should invite him over for dinner one night.” Mum said and I choked on my pancake.

“I don’t think so.” I coughed reaching for my orange juice.

“And why not?” Mum asked while Lottie snickered at my choking.

“We’re not friends or anything, it’s just a favor.” I said giving my little sister a half hearted glare.

“Alright then, well I need to head off to work. You girls behave for Louis while I’m gone and maybe we’ll get some ice cream after dinner.” Mum said kissing each of our heads before walking out the door.

I sat at home the rest of the day with the girls, watching movies and playing outside in the somewhat chilly rainy weather. When mum finally got home it was a little after 5:30.

“I’m off to Marcels.” I called pulling on a jump and grabbing up my phone, keys, and wallet.

I barely heard her yell goodbye as I headed out the door and over to my car. Fifteen minutes later I pulled up to Marcels house and parked in front of his garage bay. There weren’t any other cars in the drive so I assumed the Tony guy had already left.

I rang the door bell and waited. When nobody answered I rang it again and shifted on my feet. Suddenly the door was pulled open and there stood Marcel with a pair of black flannel pants slung low on his hips and tugging a baby blue jumper over his head.

“Louis?” He questioned with a confused look.

“Hey yeah um I thought maybe we could work on our song a bit more, ya know, practice makes perfect.” I said tugging down the sleeves of the jumper I was wearing.

“R-Right… erm… this r-really isn’t the t-time. I have c-company o-over.” Marcel stuttered and my mouth formed a perfect ‘O’.

“Nonsense Marce!” A male voice called out.

I glanced behind Marcel and saw a guy our age walking up. His hazel eyes glittered as he came to a halt behind Marcel.

“I should be getting home anyways, mum works the night shift and Taylor’s too damn lazy to be bothered with watching our little cousin.” The guy said smiling at Marcel.

“Oh okay then, I’ll see you around, yeah Tony?” Marcel said turning away from me to look at the other lad.

Oh… so this was Tony…

“Definitely! I had a lot of fun today.” Tony said reaching for his jacket and pulling it on.

Smiling he grabbed Marcel’s cheeks and planted a kiss on his forehead before calling out a goodbye and walking down the driveway. I felt my jaw clench when he kissed Marcel and something coiled deep inside me. What was that? Jealousy? How could it possibly be that? It didn’t matter that Marcel might have a boyfriend… I didn’t fucking like him. Why did I have to repeatedly tell myself this!?

“C-Come on in, I um… I w-was going to make some d-dinner.” Marcel stammered stepping aside.

“By all means, go ahead. You said yesterday you could cook, so let’s see it.” I said toeing off my shoes.

“R-Right. W-What do you want?” Marcel asked walking towards the kitchen.

I trailed behind him giving the question some thought.

“Whatever you think you can make best.” I finally answered and he just nodded in reply.

I sat down at the island and watched as he moved around the kitchen with surprising grace. I watched silently as he began pulling out ingredients from the fridge and pantry.

“What are you making?” I asked as he pulled out a wok.

“Mongolian Beef, that okay?” He asked turning to glance at me.

“Yeah that sounds good.” I replied resting my chin in my hand after tugging the sleeve of the hoodie over it.

I watched as he pulled out a knife and began slicing and mincing whatever needed to be before moving to stand in front of the stove and switching on the burner. A few moments later he held his hand over the wok and then picked up the oil and poured it in followed by the marinated meat he had pulled from the fridge. Soon the sound of sizzling filled the kitchen along with the smell of the food cooking. He moved almost like a professional chef. Every now and again I would catch him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye then blush and turn his attention back to the food. It made my insides twist with something… something unfamiliar but not necessarily unwanted…

Soon Marcel was serving up the Mongolian beef over rice and setting a plate down in front of me. I stared at the food, taste buds watering at the delicious smell filling my nose, until I heard a glass being set down and looked up to see white wine before me.

“I thought you didn’t drink?” I questioned picking up the glass and swirling the liquid.

“Occasional wine w-when we e-eat, but never a-anything else.” Marcel replied sitting down on the other side of the island.

I nodded my head and picked up my fork. Spearing a piece of the meat I popped it into my mouth and nearly moaned; it was beyond good. I scooped up a bit of rice and whatever other things he had put in and popped it into my mouth, again almost moaning at the flavor.

“Shit, this is amazing.” I said spearing another piece of meat after taking sip of the crisp wine.

“T-Thanks.” Marcel blushed forking a bite into his own mouth.

 “How you learn to cook like this?” I asked looking up at him to already find him staring at me with a strange look on his face.

“M-My mum, I used to h-hang around in the k-kitchen and h-help her.” He explained with a little frown creeping onto his face. “Is that my jumper?”

My eyes jerked down to the jumper I was wearing and sure enough it was the one he had lent me the night I had stayed after my parent’s final fight.

“I um… yeah, it is. Sorry, I was going to return it… I um I grabbed the first soft and comfortable one I saw and put it on when I came over.” I stumbled over my explanation with a burn threatening to creep onto my cheeks at my own words.

“It’s okay…” Marcel said with a small smile playing on his lips and went back to eating.

The rest of dinner was spent chatting about our project song and whether or not anything needed to be changed or tweaked. Our conclusion was no, nothing needed to be changed, it was perfect, at least to us and Marcel’s mum it was. We rinsed off our plates and set them in the sink then headed to the music room to run through the song a few times, managing to do it flawlessly the last to times.

“I have an urge to go swimming.” Marcel said suddenly once we finished playing the song.

I looked up at him from the guitar with an eyebrow arched.

“You’re joking right? It’s like in the 50’s outside and dark.” I commented looking at him as if he were completely bat shit crazy.

“So? My pool is heated and it’s not dark in the pool, it’s got lights.” Marcel said standing up and stretching, causing the hem of his jumper to ride up and reveal the smooth tan skin underneath.

My stomach did a little flip at the thought of getting to see him without a shirt again. Honestly, what was wrong with me? I shouldn’t be thinking about this nerd in such a manner and I was not gay.

“Go for it.” I found myself replying.

“What you don’t want to swim?” He asked walking towards the door.

“Uh if you haven’t noticed I’m not dressed to swim.” I said rolling my eyes and following him to his room.

“I s-should have something that you could w-wear. I mean if you w-want.” Marcel replied opening up one of his dresser drawers and pulling out two pairs of swim trunks.

I stared at the pair he offered to me, battling with myself internally until my want to see him shirtless won and I grabbed the trunks and headed into the bathroom to change. When I reemerged Marcel was standing in his room in nothing but a pair of dark, navy blue swim trunks that hung illegally low on his hips.   

I cleared my throat and he jerked his head up from his phone and stared at me. I could feel his eyes scanning me over, raking down my body. I coughed and his eyes snapped up to mine, red tinting his cheeks.

“Uh, here.” He said tossing me a fluffy blue towel. “F-Follow me.”

I followed him downstairs and to the back door. We stepped out into the chilly night and I shivered as the coolness crept over my exposed skin. This was so stupid, we were going to freeze. His pool was probably small and shallow and I was beginning to regret agreeing to this.

“S-Stay here.” Marcel said and I heard him shuffle away from me.

I could hear the sound of water running and figured there must me a small fountain in the pool, though honestly it sounded like something bigger. Suddenly lights came on and the entire pool was lit up. I gaped as I stared at it.

There was water cascading down a large cluster of rocks with color changing lights behind the water. There were lights in the pool and lights wrapped around its edge that changed colors. The pool itself was curvy and large with a hot tub sitting at one end, lit up as well, that spilt hot water into the pool.

I watched as the lights dimmed down in the pool until they were just barely glowing while the lights wrapped around its edge dimmed only slightly creating quite a sensual feel.

Marcel appeared next to again and smiled tightly, “M-Mum went a little c-crazy but I can’t r-really complain.”

And with that he tossed his towel onto a lounge chair and jumped into the pool. I followed quickly behind, hoping that the pool water would be warm and oh God it was. The water was delightfully warm.

For a while we swam around in complete silence just enjoying the quiet of the night mixed with the cascading sound of the waterfall. Eventually I sat down on one of the steps and leaned my head back against the edge of the pool and stared up at the stars.

“Do you remember anything about the party?” Marcel suddenly asked and I looked at him across the pool.

“I remember a bit but there’s something that I can’t remember. I know something happened… but I can’t recall what it was.” I replied shrugging my shoulders and he bit his lip.

I felt a little tug in my groin as my eyes fixed on his lips… they were so pink and kissable… and something in me wanted to feel them against my skin… it was as though I had felt them before and wanted to again though I knew I hadn’t.

“I think I k-know what it i-is.” Marcel stuttered and stared at him.

“Oh really? Well do tell oh wise one.” I replied sassily.

“I… you… we… kissed.” Marcel stumbled and my jaw dropped for a moment before I busted out laughing.

“Oh my gosh, you honestly expect me to believe that? And you’re supposed to be the smart one! Honestly, I would never, ever kiss you, drunk or not.” I said trying to quiet my laughing and wiping my eyes.

“I… I can p-prove it.” Marcel said with his cheeks turning crimson red.

“Psht! How?” I scoffed and suddenly he was in front of me.

How the fuck did he move that fast?

There was something glimmering in his green eyes and it wasn’t the lights from the pool. There was a lot of determination and fear and want in his eyes. His hands rested on either side of me, gripping the pools edge. My breath caught in my throat and something pooled in my stomach that felt a lot like desire. Our faces were about a foot apart and then suddenly just inches… the gap was closing… what the hell was happening!? 


	13. Chapter 13

*Louis’ POV*

My eyes wanted to close as Marcel got closer to me. My mind was screaming for me to push him away; screaming that I didn’t want this. But my legs wouldn’t move; something in me did want this and it was scaring the shit out of me.

Marcel’s eyes flickered between my eyes and my lips; distance closing… my heart was pounding.

“T-Tell me to s-stop.” Marcel said quietly searching my eyes.

His warm breath cascaded over my lips and I gasped quietly at the feeling. My breath caught in my throat, I couldn’t utter a word even if I wanted to.

I don’t want this. I don’t want this. I don’t want this. I repeated in my head over and over again. That was until I let my eyes wonder from his and drag over his features. His skin was lightly tan and smooth, little beads of water dripped down his face. His eyes were shining like emeralds. His jaw was defined. His nose was perfect and almost touching my own. His lips were pink and looked so soft and they were right there for the taking. And fuck it… I did want this.

Surging forward I closed the small distance between us and my eyes snapped shut. His lips were warm and soft; we fell into sync with ease. Suddenly I had a bit of a flashback and remembered the party. I had been completely smashed. I had found Marcel sitting in the stairwell. I had told him he was hot. I had kissed him. God, how could I not have remembered someone who kissed this good!?

I pressed harder against his lips as we kissed effortlessly. His hands remained on the edge of the pool, gripping it, while mine remained on the seat I was one. Slowly he began to pull back and it shocked both of us when I tried to follow him, not wanting to lose the warm electric feeling.

“Shit…” I whispered finally pulling away as well.

Marcel didn’t say anything; he just stared at my swollen lips. He took one hand from the edge of the pool and hesitantly reached up to brush his thumb over my bottom lip. My eyes searched his face until I felt his touch and then they closed. My lips parted slightly as I felt his thumb glide over my lip, sending an electric feeling through me. It coursed through my veins, igniting me. I had never ever considered the possibility of being gay, but if it felt like this…

His thumb strayed from my lip and I opened my eyes as he trailed it down my chin and then across my jaw until his hand was wrapped around the back of my neck and his thumb rubbed next to my ear. Finally his eyes darted up to mine and my breathing was labored. His eyes were a darker shade of green than normal; it made my insides curl.

Our eyes remained locker, neither of us moving. It was like we were both searching for permission to continue. Finally I had had enough. I jerked my hand up and wrapped it around the back of his neck and smashed our lips together eagerly. I snaked my other hand up and wrapped it around his neck as I felt his other hand release the pool edge and fall to my side. I pressed myself into him, our chests colliding making the water ripple around of. I couldn’t even believe I was in a pool, in the cold weather, snogging Marcel Styles. But here I am doing just that and finding that I want even more.

All those times I fell into bed with a girl and imagined Marcel stroking me to my end ran through my brain.

My tongue darted out to glide over his bottom lip and he gasped; my tongue took the advantage and plunged into his warm wet mouth. Our grip on each other tightened as our tongues danced, running across each other, tasting each other.

We finally broke apart when the need for air became too great. Both of us panted as we leant our foreheads against each other. I nudged his nose a little before lowering my head and resting it where his neck met his shoulder. I could feel his heart beating and I was certain he could feel my own.

I began to mouth at the smooth expanse of his skin before latching on and sucking a love bite into his baby soft skin.

“L-Louis!” He gasped out and his hand tightened on my side.

“Mmm…” I hummed against his skin as I worked.

I sucked particularly hard and a moan fell from his lips. If I hadn’t already been hard I surely would have been after hearing that. It was deep and I felt his throat vibrate against my lips making them tingle. I pulled back and smiled at the purple love bite, thankful his collared shirts would cover it at school.

“You’re a really good kisser.” I said pulling away so that only my hands were touching him, resting on his broad shoulders.

“S-so are you.” Marcel replied blushing crimson red.

“It’s getting a bit chilly.” I said as cold air swirled around our heads and shoulders that were above the water.

“Y-Yeah… R-right, come on let’s g-get out.” Marcel said releasing me and moving to the stairs.

I followed behind him and watched as he got out of the pool, my eyes fixed on his bum. His swim shorts were hanging dangerously low now, even more so than before. As I climbed out he turned and tossed me a towel and I tried not to drool at the sight of his V line dipping below the band of his shorts. I wrapped the fluffy towel around my shoulders as I shivered in the cold.

“F-Fuck!” I yelped as a cold breeze blew.

Marcel’s lips pulled into a small smile and I gave him my best glare.

“What the hell are you smiling at? It’s fucking freezing! Why did I let you convince me to do this!?” I ranted and he laughed… and that was quite a glorious sound.

“And now you’re laughing at me! You know the least you could do is try to keep me warm!” I smirked and his laughter stopped immediately.

Louis one. Marcel zero.

Instead of stuttering out something like I thought he would he walked over and opened his arms, holding onto the edges of the large towel draped over his shoulders. My smirk fell and I hesitated a moment before finally giving into my desire and walking into his arms. He closed them around me and warmth engulfed me. I buried my face in his neck to shield it from the wind and breathed out slowly; contently.

This was so weird. I was cuddled against the lad I had been harassing at school since the beginning of the year and I was okay with it… because we were alone… Oh… we need to talk about this.

“We need to talk.” I said pulling my face from his neck.

“O-Okay… let’s g-go inside.” Marcel said releasing me quickly and walking towards the back door.

I hurried out after him and into the warm house. We walked upstairs and changed into our other clothes. When I walked out of the bathroom Marcel wasn’t in the room so I walked back downstairs and found him in the kitchen setting a kettle on the stove.

“So… W-What did you want to t-talk a-about?” Marcel asked looking rather nervous.

“What happened out there in the pool.” I stated sitting on one of the island stools.

“O-Oh.” He replied pulling out a box of tea and pulling out to Yorkshire teabags.

“I… I don’t know what this is… I’ve never kissed a guy before and I’ve never had a kiss feel like that.” I said deciding just to be honest, there wasn’t any point in lying now.

“S-Same.” Marcel stuttered then blushed. “I m-mean I’ve kissed a g-guy before but I n-never felt a-anything.”

“So you felt something?” I asked quietly looking up at him through my lashes.

He nodded his head blushing even more.

“Me too.” I whispered, admitting it to him and also to myself officially.

I watched as his lips pulled into a smile and he poured the boiling water into cups and added the teabags.

“No one can know.” I said suddenly and he froze for a moment before turning to me.

“O-Okay… but w-why?” He asked setting a cup before me.

“Because I have a reputation to uphold, I’m popular and you’re not, our worlds don’t mix at school. Also, I’m straight in their eyes, hell I was straight in my eyes until 20 minutes ago!” I exclaimed rubbing my hand over my face. “Just… whatever this is… it has to be a secret… no one can know. No one.”

“Okay.” Marcel nodded looking a little sad but understanding.

“Babe…” I spoke softly, the term of endearment slipping from my mouth without a second thought.

I got up and moved around to where he stood and took his hands in my own, warmth spreading up my arms as soon as we touched.

“I’m new to this… being gay or bi, whichever… I’m not ready to announce it to the school.” I said with a sigh.

“S’ okay I u-understand.” Marcel smiled tightly.

Smiling, I went up on my toes and pressed a light kiss to his forehead then moved back to my seat and picked up my tea cup.

“You think we’re ready to perform our project song this week?” I asked sipping the hot liquid.

“I t-think so, yeah.” Marcel answered moving across the kitchen to the pantry and pulling out a bag of crisps.

We sat in the kitchen, drinking tea and munching on crisps, until my phone began to ring. Picking it up from the counter I saw it was my mum calling and it was also well after 10… the time she liked me to be home now.

“Shit…” I muttered and then answered. “Hello?”

“Louis Tomlinson where are you!?” Mum’s voice rang through the phone.

“At Marcel’s house, I lost track of time.” I replied somewhat annoyed with house she treated me; I would be 18 in just over a month.

“Well say goodbye and get home. You know you’re supposed to be home by 10, honestly Louis if you want me to treat you like an adult you need to at least act like one and be responsible.” Mum snapped and I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Yeah, alright, sorry, I’ll leave now I’ll be home soon, bye.” I said and then hung up before she could say anything more.

“Everything okay?” Marcel asked setting our cups in the sink.

“S’ fine, she’s just stressed out being a single parent again… stresses us all out.” I shrugged standing from the stool. “I have to head home; she’s rather annoyed with me right now.”

“I’m sorry. My mum was the same way.” Marcel said without a stutter.

This was something I’d noticed in the last two hours we’ve been chatting. His stutter has suddenly vanished, it’s like he only does it when he’s around someone that makes him nervous.

We walked up to the front door and I slipped my feet into my shoes and grabbed my keys from the hook on the wall, making sure my phone and wallet were in my pocket. Turning back to Marcel I smiled up at him.

“We can text since we have each other’s numbers… maybe get to know each other a little better.” I said stuffing my hands in the front pouch pocket of the jumper.

“Yeah… I… that sounds good.” Marcel replied with a little blush creeping up on his cheeks and I couldn’t help but think it was rather adorable.

“Then I’ll talk to you later, yeah?” I asked stepping toward him and yeah okay maybe I was a little obsessed with how his lips felt… but come on, they’re so soft and warm!

“O-okay.” Marcel said looking down at me; his eyes darted from my eyes to my lips.

A simple crept onto my lips as I tipped my head up a little, silently asking him to kiss me. Slowly he brought his hand up to my jaw and lowered his lips to mine. I pressed up, reveling in the feeling that coursed through my entire body. I needed to figure out what this meant. Did I fancy Marcel or was this just me being curious, finding something so foreign so exciting.

Ignoring my thoughts I hummed into the kiss at the same time he did and I tried, but failed, to hold back the giggle that escaped my lips. He pulled away and stared at me with bright green eyes.

“Don’t do that.” I chuckled. “Tickles.”

Marcel’s eyebrow rose up and I swear he smirked.

“You’re ticklish?” He asked and I blanched.

“N-No. No I’m not.” I lied through my teeth.

“Course not.” Marcel laughed and then leaned back in to peck my lips before stepping away. “Better get going. You can go out the garage; I assume that’s where you parked.”

We walked through the house and out the garage to my car. I tugged at the sleeves of his jumper so it covered my hands. I liked the feeling of the bigger jumper; since Marcel was taller his clothes were a little big on me.

“I’ll text you when I get home, yeah?” I said unlocking my car with the keyless entry.

“Okay.” Marcel replied with a small smile; the light from the moon washed over him and made him look even better than he already did with a few curls falling onto his forehead and the light from the moon reflecting in his eyes.

I couldn’t really help myself, even though my mind was urging me to take this very slowly. I went up on my toes and kissed him once more before climbing into my car and starting the engine. With a wave I backed out of the driveway and headed for home.

That night once I crawled into bed after a shower and a scolding from my mother I picked up my phone and began texting Marcel.  A smile may have made its way onto my face as I learned when his birthday was, what his favorite color was, what his favorite food was, what his favorite movie was, and about his childhood… from his mum’s divorce from his biological father to her marriage to Robin.

When I finally put my phone down at nearly 1 in the morning I felt like we knew each other pretty damn well. I found myself questioning why I had ever started to harass him. I jabbed at him for being a nerd and for being gay. My image had always been important to me but now I felt rather bad about picking on him… especially for being gay. Was that because maybe all along I had been gay or bi and just hadn’t come to terms with it and seeing him openly gay and accepted by most just made me angry? Surely people wouldn’t accept a gay footie captain. But how could I stop harassing Marcel without raising suspicion.

I knew one thing, I liked how it felt when he kissed me and that had to mean something. Was this just something new that would wear off? Was this something lasting? Did this mean I was gay? Did this mean I fancied him… because honestly we’re opposite ends of the food chain, how could I?

Sighing I turned over in bed and closed my eyes. I needed to figure out what the hell all of this was. 


	14. Chapter 14

*Marcel’s POV*

Monday came way too soon. Liam was standing beside me as I got my books from my locker going on about how he and Danielle had hung out Saturday. I could hear him talking but I wasn’t really hearing what he was saying, my mind was still occupied with thoughts of Louis. Never in a million years would I have ever thought we’d kiss… not once but multiple times. It seemed like a dream, but it definitely had happened.

“Marcel? Are you even listening to me?” Liam asked finally pulling me from my thoughts.

“What?” I questioned turning to him.

“I asked if you were listening to me, clearly you weren’t.” He replied giving me a curious look. “What’s on your mind?”

“N-Nothing.” I stammered turning back to my locker.

“Now tell me the truth…” Liam said crossing his arms.

“It’s really nothing Li; I guess I’m just not looking forward to being bullied today.” I lied hoping he would by it.

“Don’t worry Marce; the douche won’t mess with you while I’m around.” Liam reassured me with a pat on the back.

I felt a little ball of anger form inside me as Liam called Louis a douche but I quickly reasoned with myself. I didn’t know if Louis was going to change and Liam had no reason to believe he was anything other than the douche he always was.

“Speak of the devil…” Liam muttered and I turned my head in the direction of the doors to see Louis, Zayn, and Niall walking in.

My heart beat picked up as they got closer to us. Would he stop and say or do something to me like always? I turned back to my locker and grabbed my last book, forcing myself not to pay attention to Louis. Closing the locker door I turned to Liam and he looked rather shocked.

“That was so weird…” He said under his breath.

“What?” I asked glancing around to see that Louis and his friends were out of sight.

“He just glanced at you and then kept on walking.” Liam replied with a frown.

“You act like that’s a bad thing.” Jessica said suddenly appearing.

“Well, look who came around! Sure you don’t have to meet up with Niall?” Liam said sarcastically.

“Sure you don’t have to meet up with Danielle?” Jessica replied quickly quirking an eyebrow at him and he blushed.

“Actually, I did tell her I’d meet her before class, so I gotta dash. I’ll see you guys in music.” Liam said and then hurried off down the hall.

“How’s Niall?” I asked as Jessica and I walked down the hall.

Jessica blushed and a smile graced her lips.

“He’s good. I swear Marcel he’s so sweet. I know he used to bully you but he really is the sweetest guy.” She smiled, obviously giddy just thinking about him.

“As he asked you out yet?” I questioned walking around students standing around chatting.

“No. You know, it’s weird… like I think he likes me but then again I don’t know… wouldn’t he have asked me by now if he did?” Jessica replied giving me a saddened expression.

“I’m sure he likes you. Anytime you’ve been with us and he walks by he get’s this smile on his face and he can’t quit staring at you.” I laughed as she blushed.

“How’s Tony?” Jessica questioned suddenly.

“He’s fine I guess? I haven’t talked to him since Saturday morning.” I shrugged and she gave me a look.

“Why?” she asked curiously.

“I just haven’t.” I replied hoping she would just drop the subject.

Truth was I had done nothing but text Louis Sunday and if another text message came in I ignored it. I knew it probably wasn’t wise to get so wrapped up and the lad who bullied me but I couldn’t help it. He had said he felt something when we kissed so I allowed myself to fall a bit.

“Well here he comes anyways. Hiya Tony!” Jessica greeted as the hazel eyed lad walked up all smiles.

“Morning Jess, morning Marcel.” Tony smiled brightly falling into step with me.

He tossed an arm around my shoulders as we walked and I said good morning.

“What were you up to this weekend? I text you but never heard from you.” Tony asked me as we walked.

“Oh um, I was practicing my project song for music. Louis and I are performing it this week.” I replied letting my eyes wonder the hall.

“Well, at least you’ll be free of him after that. Sorry little prick that one. Liam told me everything when I spoke to him yesterday.” Tony said squeezing my shoulder.

“Y-Yeah he’s something else.” I replied only half listening.

“You alright Marce?” he questioned pulling me closer.

My eyes darted around. People were staring at us and I knew why… we looked like we were together with the way he was holding me to his side.

“I’m fine.” My reply came out short.

“Did something happen this weekend? You keep looking around like you’re watching out for somebody? Did that little shit do something Saturday?” Tony asked moving to stand in front of me.

“W-What? N-No. He didn’t do anything.” I stuttered out feeling my cheeks begin to burn under his stare.

“Are you sure?” He questioned moving closer.

I nodded my head and finally met his eyes.

“Well… okay.” Tony said then moved to stand beside me once more and continued down the hall. “You want to go to Starbucks after school?”

“No thanks, I have a math test to study for.” I replied and then hurried off towards class.

When I walked into class Liam was already there along with Louis, Niall, and Zayn. As I walked past Zayn’s desk I felt a foot hook my own and suddenly I tumbled down to the floor, an embarrassing yelp escaping my mouth.

“Have a nice fall, nerd?” Zayn snickered as I pushed myself up and Liam hurried over.

“You’re a right ass… how do you even have a girlfriend?” Liam growled helping me up.

I glanced at Louis from the corner of my eye and saw him staring at me. He didn’t say anything, just stared.

“Oi! What’s wrong with you Tommo? You never miss an opportunity to make fun of the geek.” Zayn said turning to look at Louis.

“Just not feeling good today, not in the mood.” Louis replied then turned away.

Zayn shrugged his shoulders and seemed to accept Louis’ answer. I sat down and my seat with a small smile pulling at my lips. It was nice to walk down the hall or sit in class and not get picked on by Louis. But how long would this last? Eventually Zayn would get suspicious… then what would Louis do? Would he go back to bullying me?

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Thursday rolled around quickly and after school I was supposed to meet Louis at my house so we could run through our song one more time before we performed it the next day. I had just closed my locker when Louis appeared beside me.

“Hey, um… can I ride with you? Mum to my car to trade it in for a… cheaper one… so she dropped me off.” Louis asked whispering the part about the car so others didn’t hear.

“Sure.” I replied nodding my head.

We walked out of the school and into the parking lot where my car was parked in its usual spot. Tossing our backpacks into the backseat we took off for my house, the radio playing Made in the USA by Demi Lovato.

“Hey sweetheart, hello Louis!” Mum greeted as we walked into the house.

“Hey mum.” I smiled kissing her cheek.

“Hey.” Louis smiled at her as well.

“We’ll be in the music room, last practice before we perform it tomorrow.” I explained and then we headed upstairs.

As soon as the door to the music room was shut Louis was right there in front of me, very close.

“Hello.” He smiled looking up slightly at me.

“Hi.” I squeaked realizing this was the first time we had been alone since Saturday.

Louis didn’t say anything more. Instead he went up on his toes some and pressed his lips to mine softly. His hands held my jaw lightly and my hands made it to his biceps.

“Been waiting to do that all week.” Louis smiled when we pulled apart.

I smiled and then moved over to the piano. “Yeah, same here.”

We ran through the song a few times, each time flawlessly. Deciding we had perfected it Louis came over and sat down beside me at the piano.

“Maybe we can do another lesson till your mum calls us for dinner?” He questioned looking over at me.

I found myself a bit captivated by his eyes. They were like blue diamond’s; shining bright. Without a second thought I leaned forward a bit and kissed him before pulling away and nodding my head.

“Sure.” I smiled reaching for the sheet music I kept in a folder.

Pulling out one of the similar songs, I placed the sheet on the stand and gestured for him to give it a go. He placed his fingers on the keys and began to play the song I had placed before him. When he finally stopped playing he looked to me for critique.

“You need to watch for when you need to hit the pedal.” I said pointing to a few chords where the pedal was needed.

I played through the song and then gestured for him to try again. His second run through was better, I was rather impressed with how quickly he learned.

A knock on the door and then a click signaled the entrance of my mum and we both turned to look at her.

She smiled poking her head in, “Dinners ready.”

We walked downstairs and I was rather surprised to see Robin standing in the kitchen pulling out plates and cups.

“Evening Marcel, Louis.” Robin greeted as we walked in.

“Hey.” Louis and I replied at the same time causing my mum and Robin to chuckle.

Picking up our plates we dove into the roast, potatoes, and carrots. When we finished up Louis and I excused ourselves from the table and headed back upstairs.

“Do you think you could drive me home?” He asked picking up his jumper and pulling it over his head. “Like you don’t have to, I can always call my mum.”

“No, you don’t have to do that, I’ll take you.” I said snatching up my own jumper along with my phone.

Glancing down at it I saw I had a text from Tony asking if he could come over Friday after school. I sighed and thought about what I was going to say.

“What’s wrong?” Louis asked picking up his backpack.

“Nothing really. Just a friend wanting to hang out… just not really sure if I want to.” I replied not really thinking about what I was saying.

“Who?” Louis questioned stepping closer.

“Tony.” I answered before I could stop myself.

“You’re still hanging around that freak?” Louis asked and that caught my attention.

“Freak?” I questioned looking up at him.

“Yeah freak. He’s so weird and his jeans are beyond tight and honestly what guy wears eyeliner. Plus he’s all over you… why would you want to hang out with him when you’ve got me?” Louis replied and I frowned.

“He’s not a freak. Plenty of guys wear eyeliner. His jeans really aren’t that tight and he’s not all over me.” I said glancing down at my phone to type my reply.

“Yes he is. He makes it so painfully obvious that he’s gay and yes he is all over you, I’ve seen how he throws his arm around you and pulls you close. Like I said why would you want him when you’ve got me?” Louis stated crossing his arms.

My head snapped up as Louis’ words hit my ears. Had he really just called Tony a freak because he was gay?

“I don’t have you. I might behind a closed door but otherwise no. As far as people at school are concerned, you hate me. At least Tony’s not ashamed to be around or with me.” I snapped feeling a bubble of anger form inside me.

“You should be glad I’m even staring at you! Let alone kissing you!” Louis exclaimed. “We don’t mix. People at school expect me to be with a pretty girl like Eleanor not a nerd like you, I’m not going to ruin my reputation because I got a little curious and kissed a boy. I’m not going to ruin my reputation for something that will never mean anything!”

I stepped back at his comment and I felt my eyes begin to burn. That hurt. I knew it. I knew I shouldn’t have let myself dream. I knew I shouldn’t have let myself hope… I knew it.

Louis seemed to realize exactly what he just said because his eyes got wide.

“Marcel I…” He started but I cut him off.

“Don’t bother.” I said shaking my head and walking towards the door.

He followed me downstairs trying to get me to listen, but I blocked him out. I was mentally hitting myself for even daring to think that this could be something. I slapped myself for believing him when he said he felt something. I was just an experiment to him; a meaningless kiss.

I snatched my keys off the hook by the garage door and walked out to my car after calling to my mum that I was taking Louis home. I cranked the car as he climbed in, threw it in reverse and jetted back out of the garage.

Louis told me where he lived and I headed towards his house, trying to focus solely on the road and not on the person sitting beside me.

When I pulled into his drive way I stopped and didn’t say a word. He slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and went to get out but stopped.

“You know what? No. I’m not getting out of this car until we talk.” Louis said dropping his hand and shifting in the passenger seat to look at me.

“Just get out.” I muttered still not looking at him.

“No.” Louis countered and I snapped my head in his direction.

“I don’t give a shit about what you have to say now Louis. You made it pretty clear back at my house that I meant absolutely nothing, that I’m just an experiment.” I said shaking my head and turning back to face forward.

“I didn’t mean it I swear! Marcel just listen to me!” Louis begged and I felt myself giving in.

No. I wasn’t doing this. He lied to me, not that I should be surprised about that.

“Get. Out.” I growled letting my voice drop lower than normal.

“Please Marcel…”

“GET. OUT!” I yelled banging my hand on the steering wheel. “Don’t you fucking get it? I gave you a chance to be different because you said you felt something and you just told me that I meant nothing! Your reputation means more to you than anything or anyone. Once we perform that song tomorrow you’re done being allowed at my house. You’re piano lessons are over and I don’t want your help with guitar, I’ll hire a private teacher. You only care about yourself and you don’t care who you hurt as long as you make yourself look good. You’re selfish and you’re jerk. Now get out of my fucking car…. NOW!”

I watched as Louis swallowed hard and fumbled with the door handle. I ignored when he looked back at me and I saw regret and pain etched in his shimmering blue orbs. As soon as he shut the door I popped the car in reverse and turned around in the small space near their garage then sped down the driveway leaving Louis behind.

I swallowed thickly as I pulled out onto the road. Was it bad that I didn’t want our time together at my house to be over? Was it bad that I wanted to turn around, go back, kiss him, and give him another chance?

Pulling up to my house I parked and hurried inside and up to my room. Unshed tears finally fell as I collapsed onto my bed. I couldn’t give him a second chance. He would just break me. I pulled out my phone and opened the text from Tony that I hadn’t replied to, reread it, and replied…

**From: Tony – To: Marcel: Can we hang out tomorrow after school at your place?**

**From: Marcel – To: Tony: Yes, bring swim shorts.**


	15. Chapter 15

*Louis’ POV*

I stood in the driveway and watched Marcel peel out of it. I swallowed over and over again trying to get the lump in my throat to go away, but it wouldn’t. Instead of going inside out of the chilly weather I walked over to my mum’s garden and unlocked the gate, slipping inside. I remembered her saying she wanted it to be like the book, The Secret Garden, and it kinda was. The iron fence that went around the garden was about 7 feet wall and vine with flowers had grown up it making it pretty much impossible to see through. Beyond the wooden gate mum had worked her magic creating a beautiful area that was an escape for all of us.

I walked over to one of the benches and sat down, pulling my knees up to my chest and crossing my jumper covered arms over my knees. I rested my chin on my arms and looked up at that night sky with blurry vision.

I didn’t think words could hurt that much…

Marcel’s words echoed in my head as I stared at the night sky. Why did I have to be the one that fucked things up? Was that turning into my thing? Ruining everything? I had just recently ruined my mum and Mark’s marriage no matter what they said and now I’ve ruined whatever was forming between Marcel and me. The thing was… while I didn’t want there to be something there… I wanted something to be there.

With past girlfriends they always wanted in my pants on the first date or after the first kiss, they always wanted to go a step further. It had been different with Marcel. He hadn’t tried to make any move other than to kiss me and that had been… nice. It was nice to know somebody didn’t just want in your pants.

I let out a shaky breath and watched clouds pass over the moon, for a moment making everything even darker. My phone suddenly rang startling me.

“Hello?” I answered without looking at the caller I.D.

“Louis where are you?” Mum asked and I could tell she was annoyed with me again.

“Sitting in the garden.” I replied burrowing into Marcel’s jumper.

I had just remembered I was wearing it when I breathed in and got a whiff of him.

“Why on earth are you out there in the cold love?” Mum questioned, her annoyed tone dropping.

“Just thinking.” I answered looking back up at the sky.

“Don’t stay out there too long, I don’t want you to get sick… remember you have to perform your song tomorrow.” Mum said and then hung up.

I lowered my phone from my ear and stared at it. I had almost forgotten about the song tomorrow. My finger hovered over Marcel’s name in my text messages. With a heavy sigh I tapped the screen and closed the page it would be pointless to text him. Like so many other things in life, I had fucked this up.

The cold air blew around me and I decided I had better go in before I got sick. I changed into a pair of red flannel pants and a black shirt before curling up in bed with Marcel’s jumper pressed to my chest. Instead of falling to sleep I lay awake trying to think of some way to tell Marcel I really was sorry.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Morning came too soon and before I knew it I was driving to school in my new car, well not new, but new to me. Mum had traded in my Porsche for a black Range Rover and even though it wasn’t the sporty car I was used to, it was nice.

I pulled into the school parking lot and parked in my usual spot. As I stepped out of the car I heard a laugh come from somewhere a few vehicles down. Stepping around my vehicle I saw Marcel and Tony laughing and throwing something into Marcel’s car. I stepped out of sight, hiding behind my SUV, and listened to them.

“I can’t wait for tonight Marce! We’re going to have so much fun just the two of us!” Tony exclaimed quite happily.

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it; mum said she’d leave us dinner and dessert. You were going to bring that movie right?” Marcel replied and I felt something that felt a lot like jealousy form inside me.

What the hell? Just the two of them?

“Hiding from someone?” A female voice asked beside me and I jumped.

Turning I saw Jessica standing there with an eyebrow raised.

“I um no not really… just got here.” I mumbled adjusting my backpack.

“Right… Do you know if Niall’s here yet?” Jessica asked looking around.

“I’m not sure; if he is he might be in his car eating breakfast or out on the pitch playing footie with Zayn.” I answered stepping towards her, not believing I was talking to her.

“Do you think you could show me to his car? I haven’t seen it so I have no clue what to look for.” She questioned rather nervously.

“Sure, come on, he parks over this way.” I said gesturing for her to follow me and completely forgetting that Niall always parked seven cars down from me which meant I’d have to walk past Marcel’s car.

As I began to step out from around my SUV I stopped dead when I heard Tony bark with laughter.

“Something wrong?” Jessica inquired behind me.

“Um uh no. This way.” I motioned and sucking in my breath I stepped into sight with her moving to walk beside me.

I kept my eyes on the ground as we walked closer to where Marcel and Tony were still standing and laughing. It hurt a lot more than I thought it would. I was used to seeing old flames with their new boyfriends and sometimes there was a little sting, but this felt like catching on fire.

“Hey Louis, do you think Niall actually likes me?” Jessica asked suddenly and I looked up at her.

“Yeah, I do. He’s not as mean as he used to be, like he doesn’t like picking on people anymore because he knows you don’t like that. Plus, he told me he thought you were really pretty and he was nothing but heart eyes when he said it so yeah I’d say he does.” I replied as we started past Marcel’s vehicle.

Jessica nodded then looked over at Marcel. She smiled and waved at him.

“Morning Marce!” She said cheerfully.

“Morning Jess.” Marcel replied smiling at her and then glancing at me letting his smile fall from his face before turning back to Tony.

Tony smiled brightly at him and threw an arm around his shoulders making Marcel crack a smile. They began walking in the direction of school, Tony’s arm still around Marcel’s shoulders. My shoulders sagged and I lowered my eyes to the ground as we approached Niall’s car, a new midnight blue Range Rover.

“You know, when you like someone you should tell them…” Jessica said quietly adjusting her bag.

“I don’t know what…” I began but she gave me a look that told me not to shit with her. “I’d just fuck up, it would never work.”

“You never know until you try. Also, you need to quit worrying about others will think, their opinions don’t really matter.” She said with a simple smile.

“I already messed it up, it doesn’t matter anymore, I’ll get over it.” I muttered stopping in front of Niall’s car and seeing it empty.

“Will you? And how did you already mess up?” Jessica questioned as we began walking back towards the school.

“He didn’t tell you?” I asked almost stunned he hadn’t told his best friend.

“Nope, he hasn’t said a word about you.” She replied shaking her head.

“I… I said some things I shouldn’t have and now he hates me, probably even more than he did before.” I admitted and she nodded her head.

“Did you apologize?” she asked pausing at the bottom of the steps.

“I tried to but he wouldn’t hear it.” I replied meeting her eyes.

She looked at me hard before asking, “Would you have meant it?”

I nodded my head because yeah I would have meant it. I had just been angry because I was the one kissing him and then Tony came into the picture and I didn’t want to share and I had let my jealousy get the best of me.

“Then find a different way to apologize to him. I know Marcel; he will forgive you if he knows you mean it.” Jessica said then started walking again.

“Whoa! Wait! Like what?” I asked hurrying to catch up with her.

“I don’t know Louis, do something special.” She laughed then continued on her way.

Rolling my eyes I walked inside and hurried to get my things from my locker and get to class. I walked in just as the bell rang and sat down next to Zayn. Marcel was sitting four chairs away chatting with Liam, occasionally nodding his head and smiling. I let out a huff of air and Zayn looked at me curiously.

“What’s up with you Tommo?” He asked looking over at me.

“Nothing really, just nerves I guess, remember the nerd and I have to perform our song today.” I replied quietly as the teacher walked to the front of the room.

“Oh right, well hopefully he doesn’t screw up and make you fail.” Zayn snickered and I rolled my eyes. “Oi, what’s with you lately? You act all weird around that nerd.”

“Just sick of him, he’s boring, he never response to what I say so it’s like no fun anymore.” I answered hoping Zayn would accept the lie and not question it.

“Well, do something that he has no choice but to respond to. Make him spill a drink all over himself and make it look like he pissed himself.” Zayn said shrugging his shoulders.

“S’ not a bad idea.” I replied halfheartedly as the teacher started talking.

“Alright class, the first order of business today is going to be our first pair’s project song. Marcel, Louis you can go ahead and get ready.” She said looking at each of us.

I moved over to where the guitars were and picked one up. It was a simple, cheap Fender guitar, nothing like the red wine Gibson that Marcel had. I sat down on the stool at the front of the class while Marcel wordlessly took his place at the piano. He didn’t so much as look at me.

“Whenever you’re ready boys.” The teacher said standing at the back of the classroom.

Without any warning Marcel began to play and I scrambled to get the guitar pick before I was supposed to start. I managed to snatch it and start playing just in time. I looked up at Marcel just as he started singing.

**You’ve got the words to change a nation**

**But you’re biting your tongue**

**You’ve spent a lifetime stuck in silence**

**Afraid you’ll say something wrong**

**If no one ever hears you how we gonna learn your song?**

**So c’mon c’mon, c’mon c’mon**

I began singing as soon as he stopped, letting my eyes fall back to the guitar so I didn’t mess up.

**You’ve got a heart as loud as lions**

**So why let your voice be tamed**

**Maybe we’re a little different**

**There’s no need to be ashamed**

**You’ve got the light to fight the shadows**

**So stop hiding it away**

**C’mon, C’mon**

We sung the chorus together. Our voices blended together perfectly, practice had really paid off.

**I wanna sing**

**I wanna shout**

**I wanna scream till the words dry out**

**So put it in all of the papers**

**I’m not afraid**

**They can read all about it, read all about it**

**Oh-oh, Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh**

We went through the next verses and the chorus again before ending the song and looking up to a silent classroom. As I looked around I noticed a few of the girls looked a bit teary eyed. I looked at the teacher and she looked a bit shocked, I was hoping that was a good thing.

From where he still sat at the piano, Marcel coughed awkwardly and that seemed to snap the teacher out of her shocked state.

“That, that was quite incredible boys, you both received full points for the performance part of your grad. I’m sure though that as soon as Mrs. Roberts reads your lyrics you’ll receive full points from her as well.” She praised moving back to the front of the room as the class began to applaud.

I glanced over at Marcel and saw him smile, looking down at the piano keys. He loved music. The thought came to me immediately… I could write a song as my apology!

“Oh Louis, do you have your solo project complete, you’re the only one that has submitted and the deadline is Tuesday next week.” Ms. Brooks asked looking at me.

“Um, no not yet, I’ll have it done by the deadline.” I replied moving to go back to my seat.

The truth was I did have my solo song complete but I didn’t want to do that song anymore. I wanted to write a new song. I wanted to write a song that Marcel would know was for him. A song that didn’t make it obvious to everyone else, because I still didn’t want anyone to know about me being possibly gay… I definitely wasn’t ready for that, but I wanted to make it obvious to Marcel that I was sorry.

When the end of the day came, I didn’t bother stopping out front on the steps of the school to chat with Zayn and Niall. I hurried passed them with a small explanation of needing to get home and hurried to my SUV.

I parked outside our garage and raced inside and up to my room. I picked up one of my guitars along with a notepad then hurried back outside and into the garden where everything was quiet. I placed the guitar on the bench beside me and set the notebook in my lap. Picking up the pin I began writing down lyrics, they seemed to flow effortlessly onto the page. When I finished I read them over and smiled to myself before picking up the guitar to work on the music, this might just be the best song I’ve ever written. 


	16. Chapter 16

*Louis’ POV*

“Louis, love, wake up! I have fantastic news!” Mum said shaking me from my sleep Monday morning before my alarm went off.

“Mum!” I groaned pulling the covers over my head. “Can’t it wait till I get up?”

“The house sold Lou!” She replied completely ignoring my question.

“What?” I asked peeking out from under the covers suddenly awake.

“Yep, the realtor just called, it was a full price offer Lou!” Mum said happily.

“S’ really great mum, so now we’re going to live where?” I questioned sitting up in bed.

“I found the perfect house for us; I just had to wait for this one to sell. I’ll go to the realtor today and buy the house. Oh! You kids are going to love it, it’s a lovely house!” Mum smiled.

“Can’t wait.” I sighed pushing the covers away from me to get up.

“Breakfast will be ready in 20 minutes sweetheart.” She said ruffling my hair and then walking out of my room.

I shook my head but couldn’t help but smile a little. It was nice to see her smiling. Standing up I made my way into the bathroom and took a hot shower before pulling on a pair of black skinny jeans and a teal t-shirt. Downstairs, my sisters were crowded around mum asking her thousands of questions about the new house, but she wouldn’t tell them a thing, only that they would love it.

“Have you done your solo project for music yet Louis?” Mum asked as she set a plate of food in front of me.

“Um no, not yet. I still have to finish writing the music.” I replied forking up some of the fry-up.

“Isn’t it due tomorrow?” She questioned quirking her eyebrow.

“Yeah.” I muttered looking down at my food.

“Straight home today. Get it done.” Mum said sternly and my sisters giggled.

“Almost an adult and still getting told what to do, I love it.” Lottie snickered before lifting her orange juice to her mouth.

“She’ll be the same way with you, ya know.” I sneered playfully at her.

I finished up my breakfast and headed off to school, humming the music I had written for the song so far. Pulling into the parking lot I saw Niall and Jessica walking from his car, hand in hand… finally. I hurried over to them, pulling the hood of my jumper up to shield against the cold morning.

“I see hand holding!” I smiled and they both blushed. “It’s about time Niall.”

“Shut-up Lou…” He mumbled rolling his eyes at me.

“Told you he liked you.” I said looking over at Jessica.

“Are you performing you’re solo song today?” Niall asked as we started walking towards the building.

“No, I haven’t finished yet.” I replied.

“What? I thought you were done with it?” He questioned looking over at me.

“I um I decided to write a different one on Friday.” I said glancing at Jessica hoping she would understand my hint that this was what I was doing to get Marcel to forgive me.

“How’s it coming along?” Jessica asked apparently understanding my hint.

“Really well, I’m almost done, it should be ready tomorrow.” I smiled and she nodded.

When we walked into the building the first thing I noticed was Marcel, Tony, and Liam standing at Marcel’s locker. Tony had his arm slung around Marcel’s shoulders as they laughed about something. The familiar burn of jealousy formed inside me as we walked closer to them.

“Honestly, I can’t believe you two went swimming Friday night, it was bloody cold outside!” Liam exclaimed shaking his head.

“It wasn’t so bad! I just kept Marce really close, he’s an excellent heater!” Tony chuckled and Marcel blushed.

“I don’t want to know!” Liam said holding up his hand with pleading eyes.

I watched as Tony laughed and Marcel’s face turned a darker shade of red, all while my insides twisted with anger and jealousy. If something happened in that pool it should’ve been with me not that twat.

“Baby!” a voice came from my side.

I turned and saw Eleanor walking over from her locker all smiles.

“Oh, hey.” I muttered and continued to follow Niall and Jessica to our lockers.

“I was thinking we could get together tonight, have some fun…” She winked clinging to my arm.

“Can’t, I have things to do.” I replied trying to pull my arm from her grasp.

“Well then tomorrow night. C’mon Lou, my parents are out of town.” She said leaning in closer to my ear but not really lowering her voice.

“No.” I answered finally pulling my arm free.

“What? Why? You haven’t come around in forever Lou, we’re never together.” Eleanor whined drawing attention from other students.

“Because I don’t want to and quit making it sound like we’re dating or something because we’re not and we never will be.” I said turning to look at her.

“Oh so I was just a quick fuck?” She asked with a glare.

“Exactly.” I replied and a chorus of ‘ohs’ sounded around us.

“WHAT!?” Eleanor shrieked turning red.

“What… I wasn’t interested in anybody, I hadn’t gotten laid in a bit, and you were really easy… things change though.” I shrugged then turned and headed down the hall leaving her gaping and students snickering.

Niall and Jessica were waiting by my locker when I got there and Niall looked amused.

“Finally got rid of that tramp aye?” He chuckled then sobered. “Wait, you said things change… does that mean you like somebody?”

I froze for a moment. Shit.

“It could…” I answered slowly and heard Jessica laugh.

“Who?” Niall asked crossing his arms and looking at me just as Zayn walked up with Perrie.

“Who what?” Zayn asked stopping beside us.

“Louis likes somebody but he won’t say who.” Niall explained.

“Really?” Perrie inquired leaning into Zayn.

“Yeah. But it doesn’t matter; I don’t think it’ll work out so it’s pointless to say.” I replied feeling that it was probably true especially if Marcel and Tony were together now.

“Louis, you’re the footie captain, everybody wants to be with you… I doubt whoever it is is any different.” Zayn said and the others nodded their head in agreement except Jessica.

We headed off to class after that. The rest of the day was spent with Niall trying to get me to spill who it was that I liked and I almost slipped up a couple times but thankfully bit my tongue just in time.

“Lou-eh! C’mon just tell me!” Niall begged as the final bell rang and we walked to our lockers.

“No, stop asking.” I grumbled growing annoyed with my Irish friend.

“Louis…” he groaned loudly.

“No. I have to get home, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I chuckled at his pouting face as I closed my locker and started off down the hall.

As I neared my vehicle I could see Marcel and Tony standing by Marcel’s car talking. I watched as Tony reached out and bopped Marcel on the nose playfully causing Marcel to let out a small laugh and lean away.

“Seriously though, let’s go out for dinner tomorrow.” Tony said taking Marcel’s hand.

“I…” Marcel stuttered then looked over in my direction.

Our eyes met briefly and I knew I had been caught staring. He stared at me a second longer then turned back to Tony and offered him a small smile.

“O-Okay. I’d l-love to.” Marcel said stumbling over his words.

My stomach twisted and I hurried to my SUV, jumping in and slamming the door shut. I took a deep breath and leaned my head against the steering wheel for a moment. Marcel agreed to a date with Tony. He was letting Tony hold his hand.

I glanced over in the direction of Marcel’s car and saw Tony give him a hug before walking off to wherever. I watched as Marcel looked down at his hand and frowned a little before climbing into his car and leaving. Looking forward again I cranked the car with determination setting in. Maybe there was still a chance for me to fix what I had screwed up.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

When I woke up Tuesday morning I was tired. I had stayed up until almost 2 AM finishing the song that I would play today as my solo project. The song that I would play for Marcel though nobody else except Jessica knew about.

I hurried through my morning routine of brushing my teeth, showering, fixing my hair, and getting dressed before heading downstairs where mum was fixing breakfast.

“Morning love.” She greeted as I walked in.

“Morning.” I replied sitting down. “Did you hear back about the new house?”

“I did and we got it! We’ll start packing tomorrow; I need to get some boxes and whatnot today.” Mum said happily as she dished out some eggs onto a plate. “Did you finish your project song?”

“Yeah, I finished it last night. Do you think you could listen to it?” I asked wanting to make sure it sounded good in another person’s point of view.

“Of course.” She answered setting a plate down in front of me.

I ate breakfast then hurried to grab one of my guitars, thankful I had woken up a little earlier than normal. I walked back into the kitchen and settled on one of the barstools, placing the lyrics and chords on the counter. Mum smiled at me while she set a plate of food down in front of each of my sisters. I started playing, focusing on the paper in front of me. When I finished I looked up and found mum, Lottie, and Fizzy staring at me.

“Sweetheart, that song is amazing, you’ll definitely pass.” Mum stated walking over and kissing my hair.

“Thanks.” I replied feeling a little heat creep up my neck.

“You wrote that about someone, didn’t you!?” Lottie asked suddenly still eyeing me.

“No!” I exclaimed quickly but she narrowed her eyes at me. “Okay, maybe, but it doesn’t matter.”

Mum chuckled while Lottie rolled her eyes and Fizzy giggled about me having a crush. I packed my lyrics into my backpack, kissed each of them, and then headed off to school.

When I pulled up I felt a little bit of nerves begin to settle in. I was about to sit down in front of the entire class and sing a song, to a boy, unknowing to them, just to let him know I was sorry and maybe, kinda, sorta, did like him.

“Ready for tonight Marce?” I heard Tony ask as I walked past them to my locker.

“Y-Yeah. L-Looking f-forward to i-it.” Marcel replied and Tony smiled.

I breathed out and willed myself to calm down. Marcel had frowned at his hand yesterday once Tony left… that could mean he didn’t like the feeling which meant I had a chance. Of course that could also mean that he didn’t like that Tony wasn’t holding his hand.

Before I knew it the bell was ringing and I was seated in class listening to the teacher call role. Once she finally set her clipboard down she turned and looked at me.

“Are you ready to perform your solo project Mr. Tomlinson?” She asked expectantly.

“Yes.” I nodded pulling my lyrics sheet out of my backpack.

“Well, let’s hear it.” She smiled motioning for me to come up to the front of the classroom.

I stood up and picked up one of the guitar off the wall before making my way up to the front and sitting down on the stool.

“Whenever you’re ready.” She said standing in the back of the classroom.

I took a deep breath and began playing the song. I glanced up and looked over at Marcel; he wasn’t paying any attention to me, instead he was looking down at his notebook. Swallowing thickly I turned back to my paper and began to sing…

 

**On the edge, of something real**

**I have a choice, but I don’t know what to feel**

**Getting tired, of all this fear**

**Before I choose, let me know that you’ll be here**

**Let me know that you’ll be here**

I looked up from my paper and over in Marcel’s direction, trying to be subtle as I sang the chorus.

 

**Cause I’m, I’m not afraid to fall**

**If you’re the one that catches me**

**Tell me that you’ll be there when I’m**

**About to lose it all**

**Cause you’re the one who helps me see**

**That sometimes it’s okay… to fall**

I couldn’t help but look directly at Marcel as I sang. His head finally lifted and his eyes were on me as I continued singing, occasionally looking at him directly in the eyes.

 

**When I’m far away, from where you are**

**It’s okay, cause we’re under the same stars**

**I’m laying down, this heavy load**

**Maybe now, I can finally let this go**

**I can finally let you know**

**That I'm, I’m not afraid to fall**

**If you're the one who catches me**

**Tell me that you'll be there when I'm**

**About to lose it all**

**Cause you're the one who helps me see**

**That sometimes it's ok**

**To fall Oh Oh**

**To fall Oh Oh**

**To fall Oh oh**

**To fall**

**To fall Oh Oh**

**To fall Oh Oh**

**To fall Oh Oh**

**To fall**

**Not afraid to fall**

**If you're the one who catches me**

**Tell me that you'll be there when I'm**

**About to lose it all**

**Cause you're the one who helps me see**

**That sometimes it's ok to fall**

**Oh Oh Oh (Cause I'm not afraid to fall)**

**Fall Oh Oh Oh (if you're the one who catches me)**

**Sometimes it's ok to fall**

**When I'm about to lose it all**

**You're the one who helps me see**

**That sometimes it's ok**

**It will be okay**

**Sometimes it's ok, to fall**

**I'm gonna fall…**

I stopped playing and looked at the class as I opened my eyes. I had closed them as I sang the last bit of the song, putting everything I had into it.

It started with Niall. He stood up out of his seat and began to clap, quickly followed by almost everyone else in the classroom, including the teacher.

“Mr. Tomlinson that was most definitely one of my favorites of the solo projects! You pass!” She smiled making the mark on her clipboard.

I smiled and chanced a glance at Marcel. He was gaping at me. I let another smile grace my lips as I looked down and shuffled back to my seat.

When class was over, Marcel hurried out of the room before everyone else. I stumbled out into the hall just in time to see him hurry into the bathroom. I walked over to the bathroom door, glanced over my shoulder, then walked inside. The bathroom was empty since it was out of order because the toilets weren’t working for whatever reason.

Marcel was sitting on the tile floor against the wall furthest from the door with his knees pulled to his chest. I cleared my throat and he jumped before rushing to stand up.

“W-What are you doing in here?” He asked shakily.

“I saw you come in here…” I replied biting my lip.

We stood there in a silence for another minute.

“It was for you ya know? The song.” I blurted out.

“Why?” Marcel questioned; his eyes burning with curiosity and a few other emotions.

I sighed and walked closer to him before looking up slightly and meeting his eyes.

“Because… I wanted you to know that I meant it when I said I was sorry and just how I felt.” I replied keeping our gazes locked.

“Really?” He asked quietly.

I nodded my head with a little smile playing on my lips, “Yeah… you… you seem to make falling not so bad. I’m not ready to come out, but I’d like a chance with you… if you’ll give me one?”

Marcel stared at me for a while, he didn’t move when the bell rang signaling the start of our next class. His eyes darted back and forth like he was searching my eyes for sincerity.

“Okay.” He whispered biting his lip.

I couldn’t help but beam at him, a full smile graced my lips. Moving forward I slipped my hand into his and laced our fingers together, bringing my other hand up to brush my thumb over his cheek. We both leaned in at the same time, our eyes slipping closed. Our lips sealed together, molding to each other perfectly and the warm sensation that I had felt the first time we kissed coursed through me. His free hand rested on my side, my free hand still on his cheek stroking it softly. My other hand and his remained laced together at our sides.

We kissed slow and tender until the need for air became too great. We pulled apart and I went up on my toes just enough so that I could bump my nose against his lightly. When I pulled back and looked at him I saw a happy smile etched onto his cherry lips.

“We should probably get to class.” I said squeezing his hand.

“Crap, yeah… I’m never late.” He chuckled quietly releasing my hand and turning to where his backpack sat on the floor.

“Course not.” I smiled watching as he bent over. “My mum sold the house and bought a new one, she won’t tell us where it is though or what it looks like.”

“Really? You’re still going here right?” Marcel asked turning around and looking at me almost panicked.

“Yep, no worries, the house is still zoned for this school. She said we’re gonna start packing tomorrow, but I thought I’d start tonight.” I said adjusting my own backpack.

“I could help… I mean if you wanted me to.” Marcel offered pausing by the bathroom door.

“Yeah that’d be nice.” I smiled at him.

“I can come over after I go eat with Tony.” He said and my jaw clenched a bit at that.

“Oh, okay, yeah that’s fine.” I forced out. “You remember how to get to my house?”

“Yeah I’m pretty sure I do, I’ll text you if I don’t.” Marcel replied then went to open the door.

“Wait!” I exclaimed a little louder than I really should have.

He turned and looked at me curiously. I hurried up to him and without a word I pressed my lips to his own firmly.

“See you later Marce.” I smiled as I pulled away.

“See you later, Louis.” Marcel replied with a shy smile and a pretty little blush on his cheeks.

He walked out of the bathroom first and then a minute later I walked out and headed off to class. For the first time ever I felt a big giddy after kissing someone… and I could definitely get used to the feeling. Now, Tony just needed to back off. I wouldn’t mind if they were friends… but I would mind if he was trying to get into Marcel’s pants and I had a feeling that’s what he was trying to do. 


	17. Chapter 17

*Tony’s POV* (WHATTT???)

**To: Marcel – From: Tony :: What time should I pick you up?**

**_From: Marcel – To: Tony :: I’ll meet you at the restaurant, 6:30, right?_ **

**To: Marcel – From: Tony :: Yeah, I am a good driver you know :P**

**_From: Marcel – To: Tony :: It’s not that, I have plans afterwards._ **

**To: Marcel – From: Tony :: Okay, see you at 6:30 babe xx**

I sat my phone down and looked over at my sister.

“Well?” Taylor questioned expectantly.

“He’s meeting me at the restaurant at 6:30.” I replied and her eyebrows rose.

“Meeting him? I thought you were going to pick him up.” She commented.

“Well that was my original intentions but now he’s got plans for afterwards all of a sudden.” I answered pulling my laptop into my lap.

“You won’t be getting anywhere with him tonight other than maybe a kiss… but with that nerd I’m not really sure. The only person he’s probably kissed his is mum.” Taylor snickered pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail.

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah, that’s probably true but I’m so gonna change that. I’ve been laying it on since I met him at the party… I think I’ve got him hooked… it’s not like anyone else is taking an interest in him anyways.”

“I’m sure you’ll bed him soon enough, he’ll probably beg for it.” Taylor laughed looking over my shoulder at the computer screen.

“I’m not used to putting this much effort into things.” I sighed dramatically. “It was so much easier at the last school. All I had to do was scare them into it. At this school… I don’t think Marcel is scared of anybody or intimidated more by anyone then Tomlinson.”

“Hmm, I remember that Calder girl talk about him a lot when I was cheer captain and she was on the team.” Taylor said sitting back against the head board of my bed.

“He’s footie captain now, apparently he’d been hooking up with her and then told her yesterday that’s all it was; that they would never be anything. He’s something else and quite hot but you know how I like mine… innocent so I can wreck them.” I smirked over my shoulder at her and she gave me a classic Swift smirk back.

^*^*^*^*^*^

I hopped into my car at 6:00 and drove down to the restaurant I was meeting Marcel at. It was a simple Italian restaurant that played floaty violin music and was fairly intimate. Taylor and I were fortunate enough to have wealthy parents that didn’t question our lives at all. They gave us credit cards with big limits and let us do as we pleased.

Everything I do I learned from Taylor; from how to catch someone’s eye to how to reel them in to how to get them in your bed. Taylor wrote songs about her flings and she was well on her way to being a somebody in the music world. I on the other hand was satisfied with getting a good lay and then forgetting the person ever existed unless they were really good.

The hostess at the restaurant lead me over to a small booth tucked into the corner, fairly secluded from the others. A few minutes later she led Marcel over and then motioned for our waiter to take over. He brought out a bottle of wine and poured us glasses before taking our order and hurrying off to the kitchen.

“So what are you doing after this?” I asked shifting in my seat so that my foot was pressed against Marcel’s.

“Oh um just h-helping a f-friend pack, they’re m-moving.” He stuttered out, blushing when I rubbed my shoe against his.

“I didn’t know Liam was moving…” I commented knowing that Liam and Jessica were pretty much the extent of Marcel’s friends.

“He’s n-not, its f-family f-friend.” Marcel replied tugging down the sleeve of his jumper.

I nodded my head and took a sip of the white wine which Marcel had yet to touch. We chatted until our food came and then were lost in our food, silence taking over. Once we finished eating Marcel looked at his watch and I glanced at my phone. It was 7:30.

“I r-really should g-get g-going.” He said wiping a bit of sauce from his lip.

“Okay, let me just pay the bill then I’ll walk you to your car.” I said pulling out my credit card and handing it to the waiter.

“You r-really didn’t h-have to p-pay for me.” Marcel stammered.

“Wouldn’t have been much of a date if I didn’t.” I smiled at him and he blushed.

“D-Date?” He squeaked out.

“Yeah, date.” I replied tapping his foot with my own again.

Once I signed the check we headed out to his car. He pressed the button on his keyless entry remote and the door unlocked.

“T-Thanks for d-dinner, i-it was g-good.” Marcel said opening up the door.

“It was no problem.” I replied stepping closer to him. “I’d really love to do it again, soon.” I continued on dropping my voice a little.

“I um I-I…” He said backing up a little so he was pressed against the car.

“It’ll be fun love; I think we’ve got something good.” I purred pressing closer.

Instead of letting him respond I leaned in and kissed him. I pressed against his lips roughly. He didn’t really respond at all and when I pulled back he looked shocked and a bit panicked.

“Have fun helping your friend babe, I’ll text you later.” I smiled at him and then walked off towards my own car.

I climbed inside and locked the doors before pulling out my phone and texting Taylor.

**To: Tay – From: Tony :: Might be a little harder than I thought, he didn’t really respond to the kiss. Guess I’ll have to up my game.**

I sent the message then cranked my car and drove away from the restaurant. Marcel Styles was definitely going to be harder to bed than I originally thought.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

*Marcel’s POV*

I drove away from the restaurant as quickly as I could. My mind was racing. Tony kissed me. Tony kissed me. Tony kissed me. What would Louis say about this?

My heart rate quickened at that thought. Would Louis yell at me? Would he end us? Would he go back to bullying me? Was there even an us? He said he wanted a chance but he hadn’t really asked me out… though maybe it was kinda a given.

I pulled up to his house twenty minutes later and decided to just tell him what happened. If he yelled at me then we would be done and go back to the way it was before. Did I want that? Absolutely not. I had been crushing on him for a couple months now and he was finally being nice to me… I didn’t want whatever we were to stop not even a day later.

I knocked on the front door and waited nervously. A moment later a woman that I assumed was Louis’ mum answered the door.

“Oh hello, you must be Louis’ friend!” She greeted with a smile allowing me to walk inside.

“I’m Marcel, it’s nice to meet you Ms.” I replied politely.

“Oh please don’t call me that, just call me Jay. And you said your name was Marcel?” Jay said looking almost amused.

“Yes ma’am.” I answered.

“Louis’ mentioned you… I wasn’t aware you two were…” She started but was cut off by Louis hurrying down the stairs.

“Hey Marce, come on, let’s get started.” He said giving his mum a little glare.

“I’ll bring you boys up a snack.” Jay smiled then shook her head at Louis and walked away.

“C’mon before my sisters catch wind that someone is here, they love company.” Louis said reaching for my arm and tugging me up the stairs.

I looked around his room when we walked in. It was large with a big bed and a TV on the wall. He had footie trophies on a shelf anchored to the wall and things scattered randomly around the room. A knock on the door drew my attention away from all the stuff there was to pack.

Jay entered with a plate holding two red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and some chocolate chip cookies as well as two cups of tea.

“Thanks mum.” Louis said taking the cups from her and setting them down along with the plate.

“No problem love.” Jay replied looking around the room.

I walked over to the plate and picked up one of the cupcakes, they looked homemade. I pealed back the wrapper and took a bite. If I’m honest, it was like having a foodgasm, it was so good. When I looked over at Jay she was looking back at me almost expectantly.

“These are absolutely delicious!” I praised after swallowing the bite.

“Thank you dear, family recipe.” She smiled. “Well, I’ll let you boys get to it, make sure you label a box if it has breakable stuff and make sure all your boxes have your name on them.”

And with that she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“H-Hey Lou?” I spoke nervously looking at him.

“Yeah?” He asked curiously.

“P-Please don’t get m-mad, b-but apparently dinner was a d-date… I h-had no i-idea I s-swear.” I rushed out my words, stuttering over them.

I watched as he sighed heavily and walked over to me. I swallowed thickly as he took my hand and examined it before looking up.

“You promise you didn’t know?” He asked quietly.

“Y-Yes.” I nodded my head quickly.

“Okay… it’s okay.” Louis said giving me a small smile.

“T-There’s something else…” I muttered feeling my stomach churn.

“What?” He asked slowly.

“H-He kissed m-me.” I answered in a whispery voice.

Louis growled in the back of his throat and I felt a little scared but also a little turned on at the noise which made me blush.

“Did you kiss him back?” He asked and I could tell he was trying not to overreact.

“No.” I answered firmly then I added quietly, “I wouldn’t do that to you…”

I glanced up at him and saw a smile pull at his lips.

“C’mere.” Louis said reaching up to wrap an arm around my neck.

He kissed me tenderly, using his other hand to stroke his thumb against my cheek. When he pulled away I felt relieved that he hadn’t yelled at me like I had almost expected.

“As long as you didn’t kiss him back.” Louis said bumping my nose with his own. “Maybe tell him you’re seeing someone, just don’t give him a name. You’re mine now and I don’t want him trying to get with you…”

I smiled as his face turned a little pink when he called me his. “Okay, yeah, I can do that.”

Louis smiled then pulled away completely to pick up one of the cookies on the plate. I watched as he looked around the room and then his eyes landed on the collapsed boxes on his bed.

“Well, I guess we better get started.” He said looking over at me then walked over to the boxes.

We worked for two straight hours, separating and packing his things into boxes. We chatted and laughed with each other and occasionally he would blush when I found a picture from when he was younger.

Around 10:15 my phone started ringing so I set down the trophy I was about to pack and pulled it from my pocket.

“Hello?” I answered without looking at the I.D.

“Marcel, you need to start heading home, remember you have school tomorrow.” Mums voice came through the other end.

“Right, sorry I lost track of time.” I apologized.

“Its fine dear, I wouldn’t care normally about curfew but I’m heading to bed and have to leave early for work and Robin will be out of town for business, so I’d rather you didn’t come in late.” She explained and I frowned, it seemed like Robin was going out of town more and more for business.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll be home soon.” I replied then hung up and turned to Louis. “I have to head home; mum and Robin have early mornings so she doesn’t want me coming in late.”

“It’s okay; we’ve been at this for two hours now. Thanks for helping me… I never really thought about how much  _stuff_  I have until we started packing…” Louis said walking over to where I stood.

“Maybe you can get rid of some of the things you don’t use, give it to a charity or something.” I suggested looking at the piles of nice things in the room.

“That’s a good idea.” Louis chuckled moving to wrap his arms around my neck. “What would I do without you and your brain.” He laughed lightly.

I smiled and gave into the urge to bend down and kiss his nose.

“I could come over after school tomorrow and help again.” I said placing my hands timidly on his waist.

“Okay, you don’t have to though… I don’t want you to think I’m using you.” Louis replied with a little hesitance in his voice.

“I want to and I don’t think that.” I stated making him smile. “I need to go, I’ll see you tomorrow and I’ll text you when I get home.”

Louis nodded then rocked up onto his toes and pressed our lips together softly. I smiled into the kiss, loving how gentle he was now verses his rugged school attitude. He hummed against my lips and I pulled away chuckling from the tickle that ran over them.

We walked downstairs, his little sisters were already in bed according to him and his mum was in the living room reading.

“Bye Marcel, hope to see you again soon!” Jay smiled looking up from her book.

“You too, bye.” I smiled at her and waved shyly.

When we got to the front door I pulled on my jumper and picked up my keys from where they lay next to Louis’.

“Night Lou.” I said turning to smile at him.

“Night Marce.” He replied opening the door for me.

Once I was in my car I smiled like an idiot as I cranked it and backed down the driveway. For a change, I felt like I could actually be happy. I felt like I didn’t have to worry about getting bullied at school because now the bully was my boyfriend. I didn’t really mind that we would be a secret, it kinda made it thrilling.

When I arrived home I shot a text to Louis before jumping in the shower and washing the day away. My hair, now free of product, fell in chocolate curls against my forehead until I pushed it back with my fingers.

I laid down on my bed with my phone in hand, texting Louis, still with that stupid smile on my face until another text came in…

**From: Tony – To: Marcel :: Hey babe, can’t wait for our next date, I’m thinking that fancy Mexican place in downtown xx.**

**_To: Tony – From: Marcel :: I wasn’t aware that tonight was a date._ **

**From: Tony – To: Marcel :: Well, now you know and I can’t wait for our next one xx.**

**_To: Tony – From: Marcel :: I have a boyfriend, I thought tonight was just a friendly dinner._ **

**From: Tony – To: Marcel :: Since when do you have a boyfriend? And it wasn’t, least not for me.**

**_To: Tony – From: Marcel :: He doesn’t go to our school._ **

**From: Tony – To: Marcel :: Well, he doesn’t have to know. I’m taking you on a second date. You need someone that’s there for you and not however far away.**

Instead of replying I deleted the thread and went back to texting Louis, telling him what happened.

**To: Louis – From: Marcel :: Tony is insisting on taking me on another date even though I told him I had a boyfriend, said I needed someone that’s there for me instead of at another school.**

**_From: Louis – To: Marcel :: There’s no way you’re going on another date with him. You’re mine, remember that xxx._ **

**To: Louis – From: Marcel :: I don’t want to go out with him, I never did. Only yours xxx.**

**_From: Louis – To: Marcel :: Just flat out tell him you’re not interested, even if you didn’t have a boyfriend._ **

**To: Louis – From: Marcel :: I’ll tell him at school tomorrow. Well, I’m gonna go to bed, I’ll see you tomorrow, Night Lou xx.**

**_From: Louis – To: Marcel :: Night love xx_ **

I put my phone on its charger and laid back. Instead of falling asleep I lay there thinking about Louis and then realized his birthday was December 24th and that was only three weeks away. I wondered what he would want for his birthday… hopefully we would still be together by then so it wouldn’t be awkward if I got him something.

An idea popped into my head as I stared at the ceiling. Sitting up in bed, I grabbed my laptop off of my nightstand and opened it up, the light filling the room instantly. I went to the website I was searching for and there it was… the perfect gift for Louis.

Once I finished on the laptop, I set it back on my nightstand and lay back down in bed. I closed my eyes and hoped that Tony would stop trying after I told him I wasn’t interested at all tomorrow… though I had a feeling deep inside me that it just wasn’t going to be that simple.

 


	18. Chapter 18

*Marcel’s POV*

“N-No.” I answered for the third time as Tony followed me out of class.

“Why not?” Tony questioned hurrying to keep up with my long strides.

“I have a boyfriend.” I replied again for the third time.

“Who cares? You said he doesn’t even go to school here. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Tony said coming to a halt at my locker.

“I care. I care about him and I’m no cheater.” I stated firmly happy I was able to speak without a stutter.

“It’s just dinner… it’s not cheating unless you do something.” Tony said waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“No.” I replied shutting my locker.

“I will get you to agree Marcel; we will go on another date.” Tony stated with a smirk playing on his lips.

Instead of replying I turned on my heel and walked away from him. I knew it wasn’t going to be simple. Something inside me knew that he wouldn’t just take no for an answer. I made the quick decision to keep Jessica or Liam around as much as possible. Whenever they were around Tony didn’t mention taking me on a date.

My cell phone buzzed as I walked to my next class. Pulling it out I saw a new text from Louis.

**To: Marcel – From: Louis :: How’d it go?**

**_From: Marcel – To: Louis :: Not well, won’t take no for an answer._ **

**To: Marcel – From: Louis :: Talk tonight? You’re still coming over right? Xx**

**_From: Marcel – To: Louis :: Okay and yes, of course. Xx_ **

**To: Marcel – From: Louis :: See you tonight xx**

**_From: Marcel – To: Louis :: xx_ **

I pocketed my phone with a smile playing on my lips as I entered my next class. I sat down in my seat next to Jessica who gave me a curious look.

“You know Marce; you seem right giddy since yesterday…” She commented tilting her head towards me.

“Oh um, just happy I suppose.” I replied shrugging my shoulders.

“Are you sure that’s it?” Jessica questioned with a smirky smile.

“Uh well I haven’t gotten bullied so that could be a factor.” I said looking over at her.

“I’ve noticed Louis hasn’t taken any jabs at you lately… Niall’s noticed too… something going on there that you’re not telling me about?” She asked raising her eyebrows.

“What are you suggesting? That Louis suddenly went good and now we’re mates or summat?” I replied as the teacher walked in.

“Well, considering he hasn’t been harassing you lately… I thought maybe something… developed between the two of you.” Jessica said giving me a questioning look.

“He’s the footie captain Jess, he’d never have anything to do with me, the nerd.” I stated without looking over at her again, afraid she would see the lie in my eyes.

Fortunately, she dropped the subject and didn’t bring it up the rest of the day. Unfortunately, Tony asked me to go out to dinner every time he saw me alone and every time I repeated my answer of no. I didn’t understand it; why was he so interested in going out with me? I wasn’t anything special, I didn’t even understand why Louis was willing to try other than the fact that he says he felt something when we kissed. But beyond that, why would anyone take an interest in me, the nerd.

“Just one more date.” Tony pleaded crowed near me at my locker as I grabbed what I needed to complete my homework tonight.

It was the end of the day and all I wanted to do was get my things, get into my car, and go to Louis’ house.

“I’m really not interested.” I replied growing increasingly annoyed with him.

“Just one more date…” He said again. “And if you really think that there’s nothing there then we don’t have to go out again.”

I shut my locker and looked at him out of the corner of my eye before brushing past him and walking away towards the exit.

“Is that a yes?” Tony called after me.

“No.” I replied back rolling my eyes.

Honestly? How many times did I have to say it?

I walked out into the cold weather outside and hurried to my car. Snow was falling again. I got the snow of my windows so I could see then left the school and headed to Louis’ house. When I pulled up he was just getting out of his range rover.

“Do we live in England or Antarctica?” Louis questioned pulling his jacket tighter around him as he waited for me to catch up to him.

“Sometimes I wonder.” I replied wanting to disappear inside my black coat. “It’s bloody freezing.”

We hurried to the side door of the house where the mudroom was and shed our coats and snow wet shoes. The house was warm inside and empty.

“Mum had to work today and the girls are still at school.” Louis explained setting a kettle on the stove for tea.

I nodded rolling up the sleeves of my shirt.

“What’s wrong?” Louis questioned walking over to where I stood.

“Nothing… it’s just Tony asked probably 20 times for me to go on another date with him… it’s like he doesn’t understand the word no or I’m not interested.” I replied undoing the top three buttons of my shirt, it felt like it was getting tighter all of a sudden.

“Persistant little bastard isn’t he?” Louis grumbled shaking his head with aggravation evident in his eyes.

“You have no idea. I don’t even understand why he’s so caught up in this… I’m nothing special.” I said combing my fingers through my hair.

Louis scoffed and rolled his eyes at me. “Have you looked in a mirror… you have a great body and when you’re hair isn’t all gelled back it’s downright sexy… those curls. I mean, I don’t mind the gelled back look, it’s cute, but the curls…”

I blushed scarlet red as Louis leaned forward and pressed his nose against my neck, his mouth near my collarbones as he spoke, “The curls are sexy.”

He pressed a string of kisses from my collarbones, up my neck, and then molded our lips together until the kettle whistled. He pulled away with a smile and grabbed two cups along with two tea bags. I watched as he added a bit of sugar to mine, leaving his plain, before handing it to me.

The hot liquid warms my insides up immediately. The sweetness danced over my taste buds, just the right amount of sugar.

“Shall we get packing? Mum wanted me to finish up my room today so the movers can start first thing tomorrow morning.” Louis said holding out his hand for me to take.

With a shy smile forming on my lips I took his hand and he laced our fingers together. We walked upstairs to his room where boxes were waiting to be packed.

“Did you decide on any stuff you wanted to give away?” I questioned picking shirts out of his dresser that looked as though they’d never been worn.

“Yeah, I started going through my clothes as I packed them after you left. I started making a pile of stuff over there on the floor.” Louis replied gesturing over to where a pile of clothes and other things sat on the carpeted floor.

Looking over at the pile my eyes widened a bit at the amount of stuff sitting there. Everything from shirts, pants, older iPods, video games, and shoes that looked like new. I knew I was spoiled, my mum often buying me whatever I wanted, but this was crazy… there was so much stuff.

“Wow.” I commented lamely still looking at the pile.

“I know… I never even realized how much stuff I had.” Louis replied pulling the rest of his trophies of their shelf.

Between the two of us we managed to get the rest of Louis’ things packed and ready to move. When we finally strolled downstairs, we found his mum and sisters in the kitchen placing slices of pizza on plates.

“Hello sweetheart, hello Marcel!” Jay greeted smiling up from the pizza box.

“Hey mum.” Louis replied pulling two bottles of water from the fridge and handing one to me.

“Hi!” I smiled accepting the plate of pizza she offered me. “Thanks.”

“Did you boys finish packing up Louis’ disaster of a room?” Jay inquired with a small smirk.

“My room was not a disaster.” Louis protested. “But yes we got it all packed.”

Jay smiled at Louis and then looked at me, “You, dear, are a miracle worker. I would’ve had to pack his room myself.”

I chuckled and blushed at her comment.

“Remember love, we’re in the new house tomorrow. I wrote down the directions and address from the school, you shouldn’t have any problems finding it.” Jay said picking up another slice of pizza. “Marcel, you’re welcome to drop by of course.”

“Sure, if Louis doesn’t mind?” I replied glancing over at Louis.

“Of course I don’t mind Marce.” Louis smiled over at me and I felt heat rise onto my cheeks.

I noticed Jay looking between us, assessing us curiously. If she was anything like my mother, I knew she could tell there was something going on between us. I looked down at my watch and saw it was pushing six o’clock.

“Thanks for the pizza Jay, I really should head home now, my mum will be wondering where I am and my sister was coming into town today.” I explained taking my plate over to the sink.

“You’re welcome and I’d love to meet your mother one day, she must be fantastic to have raised such a son as yourself.” Jay said taking the plate out of my hand before I could rinse it off.

“I’ll have to speak with her about it, I’m sure she’d love to meet you.” I replied with a smile.

“Come on Marce; let’s grab your stuff from upstairs.” Louis said placing his plate in the sink.

“Thanks again for dinner, bye.” I said and Jay smiled at me, calling her goodbye as Louis and I walked out of the kitchen.

Once we were up in Louis’ room he shut the door and turned to me.

“Do you want to come over to the new house after school?” He asked walking over to where I stood and draping his arms over my shoulders.

“As long as mum or Gem don’t need me, yes.” I answered putting my arms around his waist.

I thought it was kind of funny how open I was with him; normally I was shy and reserved. With Louis though, I was quickly gaining confidence to touch him when we were alone, as long as he initiated it.

Louis smiled at me with his head tilted slightly. His thumb rubbed back and forth against the base of my neck. Finally he rose up some and pressed his lips against mine; my arms tightening just slightly while my thumb brushed against his lower back. His arms tightened around my neck and I felt his tongue prod at my lip. My lips parted and his tongue darted into my mouth. It wasn’t a steamy, lustful kiss – it was somehow still tender as our tongues danced slowly.

We pulled away a minute later and I picked up my cell phone and keys from his dresser. He followed me out of the room; playfully tapping my bum as I walked past him, making me blush and he looked at me innocently.

 “See you tomorrow.” Louis said opening the door for me to leave.

“Yeah, talk to you later.” I replied offering him a final smile before walking to my car and leaving.

When I arrived home, Gemma’s car was already parked in the drive. Unfortunately my mum’s car wasn’t in the garage. The last time Gem was in town I had managed to avoid her asking me about Louis, which she had vowed to do, because mum was always close by. Today she wasn’t home which meant Gemma would surely ask.

I walked into the house quietly and found Gemma sitting in the living room with a cuppa and her laptop. She looked up and smiled when I walked in.

“Why hello oh brother of mine!” She chirped closing her laptop and setting it aside. “Where have you been, you’re lucky I still have a key to the house, mum wasn’t here when I arrived.”

“Helping someone pack.” I replied trying to avoid the conversation I knew was coming.

“Who?” Gemma questioned raising an eyebrow at me.

“Um uh Louis.” I mumbled under my breath and her eyes narrowed.

“Who?” She questioned again.

“Louis.” I answered a little louder.

Her eyebrows shot up and then she frowned.

“Isn’t he the one that was harassing you that one day I called?” Gemma asked as I sat down on the other end of the sofa.

“Yeah.” I replied.

“Why on earth would you help that prick? He was so rude and an absolute ass.” She said crossing her arms.

“Things have… changed… since then.” I answered picking a piece of lint off of my pants.

“What do you mean?” she questioned curiously.

“Well… we um… see there was this party and he was wasted and I was just slightly tipsy…” I started and she gaped at me.

“Marcel… you didn’t…?”

“What? No! No I didn’t… we didn’t… no!” I sputtered with apple red cheeks. “We kissed. That’s it.”

“Oh okay… continue.” She breathed out in obvious relief.

“We kissed and then like a week later he was here and mum wasn’t and we went for a swim and I ended up kissing him again.” I said blushing crimson.

“You!? You kissed him?” Gemma asked amazed at me.

“Gem… shut up and let me finish.” I groaned. “Anyways, we kissed a few times and then we got into an argument five days later… which ended with me kicking him out of the car after I took him home. So when he did his solo project at school he wrote a song that was for me as his way of apologizing and he sang it in front of the entire class even though they had no idea. After class I went into one of the out of order bathrooms and he followed me. I just… I didn’t know what to think… I had been so mad at him and then the song was just perfect. Long story short, I forgave him, he asked for a second chance, we kissed again, and now we’re dating I guess… just nobody knows…” I finished and took a breath looking over at Gemma.

Her mouth was slightly agape as she stared back at me.

“So… why does nobody know about you two?” She questioned finally.

“Because he’s not ready to come out. He’s the footie captain and everyone expects him to be with the head cheerleader or whatever… everyone thinks he’s straight and that he would never go out with someone like me.” I explained simply.

“Like you?” Gemma inquired.

“A nerd. He’s a jock and I’m a nerd… we all know that doesn’t mix in school. But it’s okay… I’ll give him a chance and when he’s ready we’ll come out.” I replied shrugging my shoulders.

“Are you absolutely sure he’s worth it?” Gemma asked tilting her head as she looked at me.

“Yeah… I think he is. When we’re alone he’s a whole other person and at school he doesn’t harass me anymore… so… yeah I think he is.” I answered with a small smile working onto my lips.

“Okay then I won’t rant about what a horrible person he is, but I still don’t like him.” She smiled at me and flicked my forehead.

After a while more of talking I went up to my room and took a shower before collapsing onto my bed to do the little bit of homework I had. An hour later my phone buzzed and I snatched it up hoping it was a text from Louis… but no… it was Tony.

**From: Tony – To: Marcel :: We’re going on a second date babe. Don’t care how many times you say no… we are. Xx**


	19. Chapter 19

*Louis’ POV*

I stood leaning up against my car staring at the text on Marcel’s phone. Who the hell did this Tony guy think he was; telling my boyfriend that he was going to go on a second date with him even though he had said no?

That was still such a weird term to me… boyfriend… I never would have thought I’d end up dating a guy. In the past I had never been attracted to a guy, it had always been girls until Marcel.

I sighed and handed Marcel back his phone. “He’s right annoying isn’t he?”

“Very… I don’t think I even want to be friends with him.” Marcel replied glancing over his shoulder to keep lookout for other students walking nearby that could hear us.

“I would hope not. I wonder why he’s so desperate to get with you… I mean I understand why…” I said gesturing to his body. “But I don’t understand why he’s so set on you especially since you told him you’re off the market.”

Marcel blushed and shrugged his shoulders, “I have no clue. I’ll just keep telling him no.”

I nodded my head and looked around as the cold December wind blew. I shivered and wished I could just wrap myself up in Marcel but I wasn’t ready to come out… not even close. The thought terrified me… I wasn’t the only one that had made fun of someone for being gay at our school. I wasn’t ready to experience it; even though I didn’t know how it felt to be bullied I knew by the look in Marcel’s eyes that it wasn’t good.

“Are you still coming over after school?” I questioned crossing my arms over my chest to try and stay warm.

“Yeah, mum and Gem are spending the day together so I won’t be needed at home.” He replied with a shy smile gracing his lips.

“Great, so I’ll see you after school… you can follow me there.” I said pushing of the car and adjusting my backpack.

“Alright, I’ll meet you out here after school.” Marcel stated as we began walking towards the school building.

I was about to say something when a voice rang out behind us that made my insides clench.

“Marcel!” Tony called hurrying up to us.

He caught up and slung his arm around Marcel’s shoulders smiling at him before giving me a cold stare.

“What are you doing walking with him?” Tony asked Marcel.

“J-Just asking if he found o-out our grade on our pair’s p-project yet, the English portion of the g-grade.” Marcel lied smoothly.

“Oh well, just ask the teacher… don’t bother with that.” Tony replied gesturing at me and I sneered at him. “Anyways, you can walk with me now. C’mon let’s get away from this asshole.”

Before Marcel had a chance to protest, Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him away from me. My hands curled into fists in my jacket. Who the hell did he think he was!? I could see Marcel trying to prevent him from pulling him along but Tony was just strong enough to keep him in motion.

Marcel looked back at me with a sad look and I glared at where Tony was holding onto his arm. Sometimes I wish I could be braver. I knew I acted like I was, and I was, just not when it came to coming out.

By the time school ended for the day I was practically seething. Throughout the day, every time I would see Marcel, Tony would be right there with his arm thrown over his shoulders or his hand gripping his arm. I had overheard Tony asking him out again and Marcel’s firm answer of ‘no’ and ‘I’m not interested’.

I stood outside next to my car and waited for Marcel to come out from the school building. When he did I wasn’t surprised to see Tony with him, talking animatedly about something. I watched as he linked his arm through Marcel’s and tugged him closer as they walked, making me frown when Marcel tried to pull away but Tony jerked him back.

“Seriously Marce, it’s just one more date. He’s not going to find out about it. Just say yes…” Tony said looking up slightly.

“No.” Marcel replied shortly.

“Oh come on. Don’t be a pansy… just go on the date.” Tony remarked and I bristled at his comment.

“I’m n-not interested.” Marcel answered looking over at me as they got closer.

They walked past as I pretended to be on my cell phone. When they reached Marcel’s car I watched through my windows as Tony went to kiss Marcel, but Marcel turned his face making him kiss his cheek instead. I saw Tony huff in aggravation and then walk away. My phone buzzed a second later.

**From: Marcel – To: Louis :: Ready?**

**_To: Marcel – From: Louis :: Yes_ **

I got into my car and backed out at the same time as Marcel. I put in the address of my new house into my phones navigation and set it in the cup holder so I could hear it call out directions. I drove; making sure Marcel was still following, until I reached the Silver Creek neighborhood where it told me to turn in. This neighborhood wasn’t very far from Marcel’s but it wasn’t as high class as his.

I finally pulled up into the driveway of my new home and saw it for the first time. The house was a little smaller than our old one but it was still large compared to the average home. It was two stories and done up in a pale gray stone with large white double doors for an entrance. There was a three car garage attached to the home, which I opened two of the doors so we could park inside out of the snow that was beginning to fall.

Marcel got out of his car and came around to mine as I closed my door. “It’s a nice house.”

“Yeah, she did good picking it out. C’mon let’s go see the inside.” I said holding out my hand for him to take.

We walked inside and were hit in the face by the sweet smell of cookies baking. We slipped off our shoes and headed into the kitchen where mum was standing at the counter filling a tray with cookie dough.

“Hello boys!” She greeted with a happy smile.

“Hey mum, love the house so far.” I said going over to kiss her cheek.

“I’m glad. The movers finished bringing stuff over a little while ago, so you can start unpacking your things. I gave you the largest room, well largest besides the master, but you’ve still got your own bathroom.” Mum smiled scooping the last bit of dough onto the sheet.

“Thanks mum, I’m sure Lottie will be thrilled to hear I still have a bigger room than her.” I laughed and looked back at Marcel who chuckled behind me.

Mum looked over at us and quirked an eyebrow, “When did this happen?” she questioned.

I looked at her with a questioning look and she gestured to mine and Marcel’s still laced fingers. I blushed crimson as I looked down at our joined hands, up to a blushing Marcel, and then back to her.

“I… um… well… Tuesday.” I stammered out.

“And you were going to tell me when?” She asked with a smile playing on her lips.

“I don’t… I didn’t…” I said stumbling over my words and she laughed and patted my cheek.

“It’s fine BooBear. Honestly, I’m fine with it.” Mum said looking between us.

“Mum…” I groaned at the use of my childhood nickname.

She simply laughed and walked over to the oven to pull out the tray of finished cookies and put the uncooked ones in.

“Go unpack. I’m leaving to get your sisters in a bit… Chinese fine with you two for dinner?” Mum questioned leaned against the counter.

“Yeah, it’s fine with me. You?” I asked turning to look at Marcel.

“Sounds good, yeah.” He replied with still red tinted cheeks.

“Perfect, I’ll call you down when I get back.” Mum said and then shooed us out of the kitchen.

Marcel and I walked to the stairs, passing a large living room and dining room on our way, and headed up to the second floor. I peeked into each room until I found the one with my boxes. Pulling Marcel in, I shut the door, let out a breath, and turned to face him.

“So… that happened…” Marcel said giving me a shy look.

I chuckled and walked over to him so I could rest my forehead against his collarbones.

“Wasn’t exactly how I pictured telling her.” I muttered against his shirt.

Marcel gave a light laugh and wrapped his arms around my shoulders hesitantly while mine went to wrap around his waist.

“You were going to tell her?” He questioned a moment later in a quiet voice.

“Yeah… I mean I intended to when I was ready but I guess that worked too.” I replied turning my head so my cheek rested on his shoulder

“So… So are you okay with m-my mum knowing?” Marcel asked in an unsure voice.

I pulled away just enough so I could look up at him; he looked nervous. I studied his emerald eyes as he waited for my answer. Was I okay with his mum knowing? Did I want another person knowing about this? I could see in his eyes that he wanted to tell her. I decided I could live with it if that’s what he wanted since his mum obviously had no problem with gays.

“Is that what you want?” I finally inquired.

“I’d like to tell her… I mean if you’re okay with it.” Marcel replied without letting his eyes stray from mine.

“Okay.” I answered softly, tip toeing up to peck his lips.

“Really?” He questioned with disbelief.

“Yeah.” I smiled removing my arms from his waist and tugging his arms from around my shoulders so I could hold both of his hands.

“Thank you.” Marcel said tipping his head down so he could brush his nose against mine. “You should know… my sister knows already…”

“How’d that happen?” I asked not removing myself from him.

“She asked where I had been and it just kinda went from there…” He answered squeezing my hands. “You’re not mad are you?”

“No… I just wish you had told me when it happened, ya know I could’ve come to your house and I would have been totally unprepared for her trying to kill me.” I said with a hint of laughter in my voice.

“Nah… she wouldn’t… knows I like you.” Marcel muttered closing his eyes as our foreheads rested against each other.

I chuckled and brushed my lips against his lightly before molding them together firmly. We kissed until our breaths were coming out heavy through our noses and we were forced to pull away. With a final squeeze of our hands we released each other and set to work unpacking all the things I had kept.

We had unpacked most of my things before we heard the door downstairs slam shut and the sound of feet rushing up the stairs. A moment later my door swung open and Daisy and Phoebe raced into the room.

“Louis!” Daisy exclaimed rushing towards me.

“Hey squirt.” I laughed picking her up and swinging her around.

I stopped and propped her on my hip to watch as Phoebe walked over to Marcel and gave a little tug on the leg of his pants. He looked down at her and smiled before picking her up. His left hand came up and danced over her side making her laugh loudly and squirm. I smiled at the sight as he stopped and my sister smiled at him happily.

“Ugh! Seriously, you still have the bigger room!?” Lottie’s voice grumbled as she appeared in the doorway and scoped my room out.

“I’m older. I get the bigger room, duh.” I replied smirking at her.

“So what, I’m a girl, I should get the bigger room!” She scoffed then looked over at Marcel, “Hi Marcel.

“Hey.” He greeted her with a smile and then set Phoebe back on the ground.

“Anyways, mum says to come down for dinner.” Lottie said before turning and walking out of the room.

I set Daisy down and she hurried after Lottie and Phoebe while I trailed behind with Marcel.

“I should probably head home after we eat looks like it might start snowing harder.” Marcel commented as we walked down the stairs, looking out the front window.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea; course if it did you could always stay here if you needed to.” I said reaching over to squeeze his arm.

He smiled over at me. We walked into the dining room where mum was dishing out the food onto plates, she had gotten a thing of pork lo’ mein and chicken lo’ mein along with some egg rolls. She set a plate down in front of each of us and then sat down with one for herself. We chatted about school, mainly listening to the twins go on about a project their teacher had them doing.

When we finished up Marcel thanked my mum and we headed back upstairs so he could grab his cell phone and keys from my room before walking back down to the garage. He slipped on his shoes and jacket then walked out into the chilly garage, tapping the button on his keyless entry to unlock his doors.

Before he got into the car he turned to me and opened his arms for a hug. I stepped into his embrace, immediately surrounded by his warmth.

“Three weeks until your birthday.” He commented randomly.

“Please don’t remind me… I don’t want to grow up.” I pouted hugging him a little tighter.

Marcel laughed and then pulled away, “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Course…” I said tilting my face up towards his; a silent offer… a silent request.

He removed his arms from me and brought his hands up to cup my face before lowering his lips onto mine. He kissed me sweetly and innocently before pulling back and getting into his car. With a final wave he backed out of the open garage and drove away.

Back inside, mum was sitting in the living room alone, my sisters having disappeared to their bedrooms. Mum looked up and patted the seat beside her on the sofa. I walked over and sat down beside her, looking at her expectantly because I knew she had something to say.

“So… you and Marcel aye?” She inquired.

“Yeah… bit shocking to me too.” I replied leaning back against the cushions.

“Why’s that?” Mum asked giving me a curious stare.

“Well, because I’ve always been into girls… I’ve never even considered a guy and I was… I was never nice to him but… I don’t know something just happened and all of a sudden I just… I really began to like him.” I explained the best I could.

“He’s a nice young man, I like him. I could tell you hadn’t intended for me to find out love, but you should know by now that you should never be afraid to tell me something, I’ll support you and love you no matter what.” Mum said reaching over to brush some of my fringe off my forehead.

“Thanks, I love you too.” I replied smiling over at her.

“So, what are we going to do for your birthday?” She questioned shifting so her feet were pulled up underneath her.

“I don’t know; my birthday is on Christmas Eve, all of my friends will be out of town so a party isn’t going to happen.” I answered shrugging my shoulders.

She nodded her head and her expression was thoughtful. “Perhaps you could invite Marcel and his family over. I’d love to meet his parents; we could have a big dinner.”

“I’ll talk to him about it; I don’t know what they’re doing for Christmas.” I said feeling my stomach curl with nerves at the thought of having them here and all of them knowing Marcel and I were together.

“Well, let me know.” Mum replied and I nodded my head in a silent reply.

A while later I headed upstairs to my room and into my attached bathroom. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the hot shower, letting the water cascade over my head and down my back. As I soaped my hair I decided to text Marcel once I got out and ask him about coming over Christmas Eve.

I could handle our families knowing, but I still wasn’t ready for everyone else to know, everyone else mainly being the people at school; besides his family would know we were together before then since he was going to tell his mum.

I rinsed the shampoo from my hair and worked the conditioner in before rinsing it out as well. As I tipped my head back and let the water wash away the conditioner I closed my eyes and thought about Marcel and how we seemed to just fit together when we hugged or kissed. His body seemed to mold to mine perfectly; aligned perfectly. I let out a hum at the thought of us aligning together and before I knew it I was hard.

Leaning against the shower wall with my eyes still closed, I wrapped my hand around myself and slid it up and down my length. My hand was warm from the water and the water made the slide a bit easier. I bit my lip to keep myself from moaning as I flicked my wrist faster feeling my insides heat up. I could taste the faint metallic taste of blood as I bit my lip hard as I swiped my thumb over my tip. Letting out a gasp I came.

Slumping against the wall I took deep breaths to get my breathing back to normal. I snatched my wash cloth with a shaky hand and poured some of my body wash onto it. Once I rinsed off, I rung the cloth out and hung it back up with a sigh. What was this boy doing to me? I’d never felt like this before, my mind was constantly on him.

Hopping out of the shower, I shivered as the cold air in the bathroom collided with my warm, wet skin. Picking up my blue towel I dried off quickly then hurried to pull on a pair of boxers, some black sweatpants, and Marcel’s jumper, which I obviously still hadn’t returned. I lay down on my bed and picked up my phone, creating a new text to Marcel.

**To: Marcel – From: Louis :: Hey babe, mum was wondering if you and your family would be interested in joining us for dinner on Christmas Eve? Xx**

I put my phone on my stomach and closed my eyes for a moment before opening them and looking around my new room. Mum really had done good when she picked this house out; I quite liked it, maybe even more so than the old one even though this one was smaller. In the middle of my thoughts, my phone buzzed.

**From: Marcel – To: Louis :: I’ll ask my mum, I’m sure she’ll say yes, she’s quite thrilled we’re together. Xxx**

**_To: Marcel – From: Louis :: I’m glad. What about your stepdad?_ **

**From: Marcel – To: Louis :: He’s fine with it, said as long as I was happy he was happy. Mum said she’d love to come over!**

**_To: Marcel – From: Louis :: Great, I’ll let my mum know! XX_ **

We kept texting until I could hardly keep my eyes opened. I bid him goodnight and with a few more X’s text between us I set my phone on my nightstand with its charger attached and settled in bed. I tugged my comforter up to my chin and closed my eyes. I drifted off to sleep with a smile playing on my lips and beautiful emerald green eyes filling my dreams.


	20. Chapter 20

*Marcel’s POV*

Three weeks had come and gone in the blink of an eye it seemed. Before I knew it, it was the 24th of December and we were getting ready to go over to Louis’ for dinner. Last week I had spoken to Jay when Louis had slipped off to the bathroom while we were hanging out and as planned she had sent him to the store this morning and I had taken Louis present over to their house and hid it under his bed. By the time he had returned, I was safely back home.

I looked at myself in my bathroom mirror one more time, taking in my appearance. My hair was gel free so curls landed on my ears while the rest was brushed back with my fingers to keep it off my forehead. I had on a gray/blue sweater over a white shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans, something that rarely made an appearance. With a pair of black boots on my feet I headed downstairs where mum and Robin were waiting with Gemma.

Mum had opted for simple black pants suit with a cheetah printed top underneath while Gemma had gone for a simple black dress that came to her knees. Robin had gone with black dress pants and a crisp white button up along with his leather coat.

“Ready love?” Mum asked smiling as I hit the bottom step.

“Yeah.” I smiled grabbing my black coat off its hanger and slipping it on.

We headed out through the garage and piled into mum’s Mercedes, cranking the heater up in the cool car. I directed mum to Louis’ house, chatting with between directions.

“Gosh I haven’t seen you without slicked back hair in so long!” Gemma said reaching over to tug at one of my curls.

“Just wanted to do something different.” I said swatting her hand away and calling out the next turn.

“Louis likes them doesn’t he?” She asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, but that’s not why I didn’t slick it back, I just didn’t want to.” I defended myself because really it was true, I just didn’t want to mess with the gel tonight.

“Mhmm.” Gemma hummed and then I heard her mutter, “Whipped” under her breath.

“Am not!” I squeaked and she laughed while shaking her head.

“Gem, leave your brother alone.” Mum scolded lightly as we pulled into the Tomlinson’s driveway. “Oh, what a lovely home!”

Mum parked the car; we climbed out, and hurried to the front door, the cold winter air whipping around our faces. Robin pressed the door bell and we huddled together, snow flurries falling in our hair. A moment later, Jay answered the door with a cheerful smile and motioned for us to come in.

The house was decorated simply for Christmas. There was green, red, and silver tinsel wrapped up the rail of the stairs and large Christmas tree standing proud in the living room right next to the window, lit up with presents underneath it.

“Hello Jay.” I greeted accepting a hug from her before turning to my family. “This is my mum, Anne, my stepdad, Robin, and my sister, Gemma.”

Jay hugged each of them then gestured for everyone to follow her into the living room.

“Louis’ upstairs love, you can go up there if you like.” Jay smiled and I nodded my head before turning and heading up the stairs after taking off my coat.

Louis’ door was shut and I hesitated only a second before knocking quietly.

“I swear if that’s you again Lottie!” Louis called out and I heard footsteps approaching the door.

I had my hands stuffed in my pockets and was biting my lower lip when the door swung open revealing Louis. He was wearing black skinny jeans with an Adidas jumper and his hair was style messily in a way that only he could pull off.

“Marce! I didn’t know you were here!” Louis said reaching out to tug me into his room and shutting the door again.

“We just got here. Has Lottie been bugging you?” I asked glancing around and seeing no signs of him having discovered my hidden present.

“She kept knocking and saying you guys were here and I would freak because I wasn’t ready and then find out you weren’t here at all.” Louis chuckled and I laughed.

“Lou! Mum says to come down for dinner!” Fizzy’s voice called through the closed door after a quick knock.

“Alright, be right there!” Louis called back then turned to me with a smile, “I demand a kiss, since it’s my birthday and all, before we go down there.”

 I blushed slightly but dipped my head and captured his lips with my own. I smiled against his lips as warmth spread through me. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the feeling of his lips or his touch in general. Granted the most we had done was make-out, we hadn’t gotten each other off or anything but still, his touch on my arms or waist was like fire. It made me feel alive and electric… it made me crave more. Every time I thought about going further with him I would end up blushing crimson and wanking in the shower to thoughts of him which only made me blush even more.

We pulled apart and he smiled at me before taking my hand, lacing our fingers together, and leading me out of the room. In the dining room, everyone was taking a seat at the table where Jay had laid out a delicious looking meal. We served ourselves and began to eat while chatting. Louis and I talked quietly between ourselves before I caught the tail end of my mum’s, Robins, and Jay’s conversation.

“So business is doing well then?” Jay questioned picking up her wine glass.

“Couldn’t be better!” Robin answered. “The only thing I don’t care for much is the traveling, it’s getting more frequent and to the same place.”

“I see.” Jay commented, nodding her head.

I frowned slightly seeing my mum give Robin a pointed look that said the subject needed to change. She never seemed to mind him talking about work in the past; I wondered what was so different about it now that she didn’t want to.

Once we finished dinner Jay, with the help of Lottie who didn’t look very thrilled, collected our plates and replaced them with smaller, square saucers. Jay disappeared into the kitchen before reappearing a moment later carrying a cake, white with red icing squiggled on the sides and ‘Happy 18th Birthday Louis’ written in fancy script on the top of the cake.

“Happy birthday BooBear!” Jay said hugging him after setting the cake down.

“Mum!” Louis whined turning a bit pink at the use of the nickname.

Mum and Gemma laughed as he blushed and Robin chuckled quietly. I couldn’t help but smile over at him and squeeze his knee under the table, a still daring move for me. Louis looked over at me and smiled weakly before picking up the knife Jay offered him and cutting the cake. Once everyone was served, we chatted while sipping on wine and eating the incredibly delicious cake.

Everyone moved into the living room eventually and I watched as Gemma sat down on the floor carefully in her dress and began braiding Daisy and Phoebe’s hair while talking to Lottie and Fizzy. Louis and I soon headed up to his room, locking the door behind us so there wasn’t a chance of being barraged in on and caught in a lip lock.

“I’ll be right back.” Louis said and dashed into the bathroom.

I figured it was my opportunity to pull his gift out. I pulled it out from under the bed and quickly set it up in the corner of his room where he would surely spot it. A couple minutes later he walked out of the bathroom and over to where I stood examining a picture on his desk of him when he was younger.

“C’mon, let’s watch a film.” He said giving my arm a little tug as he turned around.

I turned around and as I had hoped, found him frozen in his place and staring at the corner of the room.

“I-Is t-that…” He stuttered pointing in the direction of the gift.

“Happy birthday Lou.” I said hugging him close from behind.

“Oh my gosh… Marcel you g-got me the g-guitar…” He breathed out.

I smiled and nodded my head against his. It might have cost a lot but his reaction was worth it… seeing his face at the site of the red wine Gibson guitar sitting proudly on its stand. He moved over to the guitar slowly and crouched down next to it, running his fingers down the neck. I watched as he examined the guitar in its perfection, not a scratch or smudge on it.

“These cost so much Marce…” Louis said quietly as he stood up and turned to look back at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled shyly, “Price wasn’t really a factor. I saw how you looked at the one I have and how you love playing it. I wanted you to have one of your own so hopefully you like it as much as I thought you did…”

Louis chuckled, crossed the room, and threw his arms around my neck. “I love it Marcel, thank you so much, best birthday ever.”

“You’re welcome. Happy birthday Boo.” I said hugging him around his waist.

Louis pulled back so he could look at me, “Boo?” he questioned cocking his head a little.

“I… you don’t mind if I call you that do you?” I stammered with a blush creeping up on my cheeks.

“No… I actually quite like it when you say it.” Louis smiled inching closer to my face.

A moment later my eyes fluttered shut and his lips were pressed to mine softly. His arms remained around my neck and mine securely around his waist. We swayed in the middle of room, lost in each other; it was like the world around us didn’t even exist. I moved one of my arms so that my hand rested just below his shoulder blade while the other remained curled tightly around his waist. I pressed my lips harder against his and he released a hum of agreement, his head tilting back some because of our height difference as I drew him impossibly close.

Without thought, I parted my lips and let my tongue dart out to prod at his lips, begging for entrance. Louis parted his lips and I let my tongue dip into the warmth of his mouth. A little moan fell from both of us as we collided; a sinful dance of our tongues that sent electricity coursing through my veins. On impulse I nipped his lip and I felt him go a bit limp in my arms as a gasp escaped him. We broke apart, our arms remaining tight around each other though as we stared at each other.

“Let’s lay down…” Louis suggested walking backwards and pulling me along towards the bed.

He stumbled a bit but I kept him from falling, holding him tighter and closer. We crawled onto the bed, moving into the middle, and laid down. I was on my back and Louis was hovering over me. His fingertips traced down the side of my face then danced across my cheek softly.

“You’re something else…” Louis whispered; his eyes scanning over my face and eventually connecting with mine. “You’re more than I expected…”

I blinked at him slowly and got a bit lost in his touch and in the depth of his ocean blue eyes. They weren’t lustful… they were portraying amazement and awe and need and want but not that kind of want.

“So are you.” I replied quietly and then our conversation was over.

Louis dove in and kissed me hard, invading my mouth – my senses – my mind – everything. He slowed the kiss down gradually to something soft and tender. Occasionally pulling back just enough to brush our noses together and get a breath of air.

I don’t know how long we laid there before we finally broke apart and opted for just snuggling while he grabbed the TV remote and found a film playing on TV.

I slumped down slightly and rested my head against his tone chest and he draped an arm over my shoulders; leaning his cheek onto the top of my head.

“I’m glad you didn’t gel your hair today.” Louis said reaching over with his other hand and tugging at one of them.

“Didn’t feel like messing with it and I know you like when I don’t so I figured your birthday was a good time not to.” I said glancing up and smiling at him.

“Awe.” Louis cooed and pinched my cheek making me blush. “I like your curls… your hair always smells sweet and this way I can bury my nose in them.”

And he did just that. He buried his nose into my curls. He took a deep breath and then blew a long breath of air in my hair.

“Louis!” I laughed trying to get away from him. “You’re so strange!”

He pulled back and gave me a grin. “A good strange though, right?”

“I guess so, I haven’t really decided.” I replied cheekily, surprising him apparently because his jaw dropped a bit.

“Cheeky!” He said poking at my dimple. “I like it!”

I laughed and pressed my cheek to his chest. It was in me… the cheekiness. I had been cheeky when I was younger but as I grew older I became nerdy it sort of got overtaken by that.

We sat there, not really paying any attention to the movie, and chatted about random things. A knock at the door startled us both.

“Marcel, you’re family is preparing to leave. Time to head downstairs boys!” Jay called through the door.

“Alright, we’ll be right there!” Louis called back.

The shadow of her feet disappeared from under the door and Louis grumbled, tossing his other arm around me and holding me down as I tried to get up.

“No, m’ comfortable.” He whined.

I chuckled and settled against him for another minute before trying to pull away again. His arms remained locked around me so I resorted to something I thought might work. Freeing one of my hands I dove in for the kill and began to tickle his side. His reaction was immediate. He released me with a very manly squeal and nearly tumbled off the bed trying to get away from me. I smirked to myself and stood up, fixing my sweater and combing back my curls with my fingers.

“How… How very dare you!” Louis exclaimed standing up and looking at me with a look of violation.

I shrugged and gave him a dimpled smile, “Figured it would work.”

Louis began moving around the bed, his look had changed to almost a predatory one and my eyes went a little wide. My heart beat picked up… I felt like he was stalking me and Lord have mercy it was hot. He took hold of my shoulders and shoved me down onto the bed, making me bouncing. He crawled over me and leaned in close; his lips parted as our breaths mixed. My eyes closed and my breathing was slightly labored… I waited for the electric sensation of his lips but it didn’t come.

Instead his breath was suddenly gone and fingers were attacking my sides making me yelp and try to get out from underneath him. Louis laughed joyfully above me as I squirmed and squeaked in protest. I loved his laugh and how the corners of his eyes crinkled.

Eventually he removed himself from me and helped me stand up. I readjusted my sweater and fixed my hair again, my cheeks were probably red from laughter.

“I guess this is goodnight.” Louis said reaching out to take my hand.

“It is, unless of course you text me.” I answered lacing our fingers together.

“Hmm…” Louis hummed tipping toeing up to bump our noses together. “I think I will.”

“Then I’ll be looking forward to your text, but for now I must bid you au revoir  **(goodbye)** , my family awaits me.” I said against his lips.

“Fuck… was that French?” He questioned.

“Yeah. I know a bit of French.” I laughed lightly.

“That… that was hot.” Louis chuckled.

“Au revoir pour l'instant.” I said in French.  **(Goodbye for now)**

Louis whimpered and instead of replying he just pressed a searing kiss to my lips. We broke free and walked out of the room, hand in hand, and downstairs to where mum, Robin, and Gemma were waiting with their coats on.

I slipped on my coat and then received a warm hug from Jay as well as each of the girls. I turned to Louis last and to my surprise he stepped forward and hugged me just as they had.

“Talk to you soon.” He said pulling back with a smile.

“Definitely.” I replied returning the smile.

I saw my mum and Jay give each other ‘awe’ looks out of the corner of my eye and forced myself not to blush. We bid them all a final goodnight and set off for home.

“He has a wonderful family, Marcel!” Mum stated as we drove through the snowy weather.

“I know. Jay’s really nice, the twins are adorable, and his other two sisters are really nice.” I commented in agreement.

“She is indeed; we’ve made plans to go shopping soon. I knew I liked that boy.” Mum said approval in her voice.

Beside me Gemma muttered under her breath something that sounded a lot like ‘not if you knew him’ and I gave her a bit of a glare. Mum didn’t know about the bullying and she didn’t need to find out. She’d probably think Louis was forcing me to be in a relationship with him.

When we arrived I changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants and crawled into bed with my phone, tapping open Louis’ text that had just arrived.

**From: Louis – To: Marcel :: My mum loves your family, I hear rumor she and your mum are going shopping? Xx**

**_To: Louis – From: Marcel :: I’ve heard the same rumor! Mum loves your family as well. Xxx_ **

**From: Louis – To: Marcel :: I’m glad our families know we’re together. I was worried about telling them, but I’m glad we did. I told Mark when he called earlier, he was happy as well, and smug because he was sure I liked you even before I realized it… Xx**

**_To: Louis – From: Marcel :: I’m glad too, I’m not very good at hiding things from my family. Xxx_ **

Our conversation continued on until it was 1 AM and my eyes were drooping. A short time after we bid each other goodnight and I plugged my phone into its charger. Laying my head back on my pillow, I pulled the covers up to my chin and closed my eyes.

Today had been pretty much perfect. I had spent a wonderful evening with my boyfriend, his family, and my family. I had been kissed thoroughly and cuddled to my heart’s content and was one hundred percent happy with life. Not once did an unwelcome number or name appear on my phone and not once did that name enter my mind. And with those thoughts I drifted to sleep, dreaming pleasantly of cerulean blue eyes, with a smile pulling at my lips.

Of course, I didn't know it yet, but once school got started back up after holiday break I was in for quite a shock and a few bruises…


	21. Chapter 21

*Louis’ POV*

I was sat in my second period class, waiting for the bell to ring, when Zayn came walking in laughing with one of the other footie players about something. He sat down in his usual seat next me and I gave him a curious look.

“What’s so funny mate?” I asked.

“You should have seen it.” Zayn replied trying to calm his laughter. “I think Styles got used to not being shoved around… his face was so priceless.”

“What do you mean? What happened?” I asked drawing my brows together in a frown.

“Andy and I were walking to class and that Tony guy had that nerd pressed against the lockers so hard he’s probably got bruises. Styles looked petrified, it was so great.” Zayn snickered and I chuckled weakly trying not to give myself away.

Who the actual fuck did that prick think he was touching my boyfriend like that?

“Was he saying something to him?” I questioned curiously.

“Yeah something about a boyfriend and knowing he wanted to or some shit like that. I can’t even imagine that geek having a boyfriend, like what kind of person even takes interest in someone like him?” Zayn pondered and I frowned deeper.

Zayn noticed and shot me a confused look. “What’s up with you Tommo, you’re not taking any jabs at him anymore and you’re not laughing.”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Just haven’t been feeling it.”

“Oi I expected this from Niall since he’s dating Jessica, but seriously Lou this was the last thing I expected from you.” Zayn said shaking his head.

Before I could reply the teacher walked in and class began. It was one of the few classes that no one fooled around in, especially if they were on the footie team. Mr. Hanson wasn’t known for overlooking disruptions and such in his class and never hesitated to give after school detentions.

Fifty minutes later I was heading to the lunch room with Zayn and a couple of the other footie players flanking my sides like always. The looks on their faces made everyone step aside while mine didn’t portray much emotion at all.

We got our food and sat down at our usual table that was now minus one Niall Horan. Since he had asked Jessica out he had been sitting with her, which meant he also sat with Marcel, which I was rather jealous of. Not jealous enough to come out and go sit with them though.

I was picking at the salad I had gotten when I saw Marcel walk in with Liam. They were talking with one another and I watched as Marcel rubbed his bicep carefully. I frowned when he winced a little. I wondered where Liam had been when Tony was harassing Marcel.

By the time our last class came around I just wanted to see Marcel and ask him if he was okay. He was already seated at our table when I walked in. Sitting down I turned to look at him after making sure no one was paying attention to us.

“Hey, are you alright?” I questioned quietly giving his leg a little tap with my fingers under the table.

“Yeah… I’m fine.” Marcel answered not looking over at me.

“Marce…” I propped gently. “Zayn told me what happened.”

Marcel looked over at me finally, “Oh. Yeah I saw him walk by with some others, laughing.”

“I know… he was laughing about it in history.” I whispered glancing around the room to make sure no one was paying any attention to me still. “Where was Liam?”

“Dentist, he didn’t get here until just before lunch.” Marcel answered looking back at his English book.

“I’m sorry.” I said turning to look at my own book.

I saw him shrug out of the corner of my eye.

“It’d just be nice to have someone else sick up for me, not always Liam.” I heard him whisper and I felt my heart clench at his words.

I was his boyfriend but I couldn’t defend him without outing myself. I just wasn’t ready for that. I would probably be shunned by my teammates and get kicked off the team. I couldn’t lose the shot at getting a scholarship to play footie for Uni… I needed to be at the top of my game. If I came out I’d probably be the laughing stock of the team, nobody would take me seriously.

With that aside though, I hated seeing Marcel upset. I used to thrive on screwing with his head but now it just hurt me to see him that way. He was important to me now. His priority in my life was increasing at an alarming rate… I fell for him more every day. Still, I just couldn’t bring myself to admit to everyone that I was gay and dating the schools nerd.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After school I stalked out to my car after waving goodbye to Zayn and Niall. I noticed Marcel coming out of the building at walking down the sidewalk, looking at his phone, probably reading the text I sent him. I watched as Tony came out of the school building and hurried after Marcel. He was yelling at him, that much I could tell. Tony ran up behind him and grabbed his shoulder roughly, forcing him to stop.

Frowning, I watched as he gave Marcel as rough shove and then took hold of his collar to pull him in close. Marcel turned his face away and he looked ready to cry but I just sat there, unable to make my body move even though I wanted to stop it. Tony released his collar and shoved him away, making him stumble. Marcel straightened himself up and started walking. As he got closer he looked over at my vehicle and his eyes portrayed nothing but hurt as he saw me sitting there. Dropping his eyes he walked past my Range Rover and got into his car.

I picked up my phone waiting for the text he always sent before backing out so we could leave together. It didn’t come though. I looked up just in time to see his car reflect in my mirror before disappearing. My heart sank in my chest as I stared back down at my phone. I kicked myself for letting him see me sitting here and not doing anything to stop Tony messing with him.

Cranking my car, I backed out and left school. I switched off the radio, not in the mood to hear anything. Silence took over except the hum of the engine. I drove home, passing by Marcel’s neighborhood and feeling even worse.

Once I was in my room I pulled out my phone after I had slipped my jacket and shoes off.

**To: Marcel – From: Louis – You’re not coming over? :/**

**_From: Marcel – To: Louis – No, I don’t feel much like it._ **

**To: Marcel – From: Louis – You’re mad. I’m sorry love… I just can’t come out… Xx**

**_From: Marcel – To: Louis – You worry too much about what other people think_ **

**To: Marcel – From: Louis – I’m sorry, I am, but I could get a scholarship I don’t want to risk losing it.**

**_From: Marcel – To: Louis – Is that all you care about? If it is, good to know._ **

I stared at the text for the longest time. Was he… was he going breaking up with me after only a month and two weeks?

**To: Marcel – From: Louis – You’re not breaking up with me are you?**

**_From: Marcel – To: Louis – No, I just… I wish you wouldn’t care so much about what people who don’t matter think while in the meantime you’re hurting the people you claim matter._ **

I sighed in relief that he wasn’t breaking up with me. I read the rest of the message again and sighed heavily. I wanted to defend him… I just… The scholarship was so important and not many people were ever sought out from our school. I guess the real question was, was it worth losing Marcel and not coming out because there was a chance that it would ruin my chances and my reputation at school?

 

*Third Person POV*

It went like that for another two weeks. Marcel would take Tony’s crap as it was dished out and Louis would make sure he wasn’t around. He was a coward indeed.

On the days that Marcel went over to Louis’ after school or Louis went to Marcel’s, Louis would apologize again and again for not standing up for Marcel. He would place tender kisses on any bruise Marcel got from Tony, then kiss his lips, and hold him.

Marcel hated the fact that still, despite the 16 bruises that were scattered over him; Louis wouldn’t do anything about it. He really began to question whether or not Louis even cared. Sure once they were alone Louis would apologize, kiss him, and hold him but it just didn’t mean as much as standing up for him would. He knew that there was a chance that Louis would be harassed by his teammates for being gay and dating him but wasn’t he worth it? Didn’t Louis think their relationship was worth it?

*~*

When Marcel’s birthday rolled around on the first of February, Tony decided he’d had enough of being rejected by him. After talking with Taylor about it, he had what was pretty much the perfect plan. He was going to ask Marcel one more time for one more date and if he still refused… well… it was quite simple, he would beat the living shit out of him in front of the whole school. Would he be expelled? Yeah, but that wasn’t anything new for him.

Tony walked into the school that morning and kept a sharp eye out for the nerdy boy he was so determined to have. He found him at his locker, standing with Liam, Jessica, and Niall. He wouldn’t be able to do anything other than ask right now… there was no way he could take a swing at Marcel with Liam around. New as he may be, he’s heard people talk and he knows Liam isn’t one to mess with; if the biceps from boxing don’t say that anyways, he doesn’t know what does.

“Morning Marcel! Happy Birthday mate!” Tony chirped as he slung his arm around the slightly taller boy.

“Morning. Thanks.” Marcel replied shortly only giving Tony a glance.

“So… I was thinking I could take you out for a special birthday dinner… you up for it?” Tony asked leaning against the lockers.

“No, no thanks. I already have plans.” Marcel answered shutting his locker.

“Break ‘em.” Tony shrugged.

“I really can’t. I’ve got plans with my boyfriend.” Marcel said then moved away from him to continue his conversation with Liam as Jessica and Niall talked off.

Tony clenched his fists by his sides as he watched them walk away. After school he thought to himself. Liam was never with Marcel after school because he now met up with Danielle, his girlfriend as of two weeks ago. So yeah, after school, Marcel Styles was going to get it because Tony was tired of getting rejected. He didn’t do rejection.

*~*

Tony tapped his fingers against his leg impatiently as the last class of the day wore on. When the final bell rang he jetted from his seat and straight to his locker which was near Marcel’s, kinda in the center of everything. He had all his stuff put away and was leaning against his locker when Marcel finally appeared.

Marcel didn’t cast Tony a single look as he approached. He spun the dial on his locker and put away what he didn’t need for homework tonight then closed it, giving the dial another spin so no one knew any of his combination.

He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder and started to walk past Tony when Tony stuck his arm out and stopped him. Marcel sighed heavily; what part of no didn’t this lad understand?

Tony moved to stand in front of him and crossed his arms, “One last chance Marcel. Dinner tonight with me, what do you say?”

“No.” Marcel stated firmly and tried to walk around Tony.

“Wrong answer.” Tony sneered and in a flash he whipped his arms out, took hold of Marcel’s shoulders, and slammed him back into the lockers.

People around them stopped at the loud bang and turned to see what was happening. Tony had Marcel pinned to the lockers with a bruising grip on his biceps. He let go of one arm and brought his hand up to take hold of Marcel’s chin tightly.

“What was that?” Tony asked lowly. “You wanna repeat your answer nerd?”

“N-No.” Marcel stuttered, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Wrong.” Tony growled.

The stinging slap that was delivered to Marcel’s face almost seemed to echo through the hallways as people gasped and others gathered around.

Tony released Marcel’s other arm and took a hold of the hair on the back of his head and yanked back hard causing Marcel to release a strangled cry. The fingers of his other hand dug into Marcel’s wrist that he pinned to the locker.

“It’s so easy to stop all of this.” Tony said tightening his grip on Marcel’s hair.

“N-No, I h-have a b-boy-yfriend.” Marcel whimpered and Tony growled.

He released the taller boy and stalked away a couple paces. Marcel fell away from the lockers and for a moment he thought Tony was going to leave, but no that would have been too easy. Before he even knew what was happening, Tony had turned around and punched him in the gut, causing him to double over as people around them oo’ed and grimaced.

*~*

Louis, Zayn, and a couple of the other footie players were walking down the halls towards the school exist when they heard chants of ‘fight, fight, fight’ echo through the halls. Heading in the direction of the noise they rounded the corner and came to a crowd of people.

“Move.” Louis jabbed the first person in the back and they moved immediately out of his way.

Zayn and the other footie players shoved their way through the crowd, Louis in the middle of them. When they were in the middle of the crowd Louis could just see over the heads of the girls and guys in front of him. Pushing a little closer, he was met with the sight and sound of Tony taking hold of Marcel and slamming him into the lockers so hard the boy let out a cry. And like that, Louis snapped.

“Fucking hell, get out of my fucking way!” He growled shoving people out of his way. “MOVE!”

He shoved pasted the last person and dropped his backpack to the ground as he heard Tony sneer at Marcel, “Where’s your boyfriend, huh nerd!?”

“He’s right here.” Louis snapped stalking forward, taking hold of Tony’s shoulder, and jerking him back to punch him square in the face.

Jaws around dropped at Louis’ words including that of his teammates.

“What?” Tony questioned straightening himself up and clutching his cheek.

“You heard me prick!” Louis growled shoving him hard into the lockers, “Don’t ever lay a finger on my boyfriend! I’ll put you in the hospital if you ever come near him again. You got that bitch?”

Tony nodded out of pure shock and because Louis had an unbearably tight grip on him. Louis shoved away from him and hurried to Marcel, who was sitting on the ground, bloody lip, and bruised with a few girls bending down to see if he was okay.

“Move…” Louis urged and dropped down beside Marcel. “Baby… I’m so sorry…” he whispered gently grazing his thumb over the bruise forming on his boyfriends face. “Come on love, let’s go home.”

Louis helped Marcel stand up and picked up his backpack. Turning around he saw Zayn and another footie player holding Tony against the lockers as they watched him.

“I’ll get your pack Lou, just take him home.” Zayn said nodding his head in the direction of the school doors.

“Thanks mate.” Louis replied pulling Marcel close to him.

People parted to make way for them to walk through; eyes watched them curiously… such an odd couple. Louis paused for a moment when Jessica and Niall rounded the corner and both came to a complete halt.

“Marce! What happened?” Jessica said; at Marcel’s side in an instant.

“Tony happened.” Louis grumbled when Marcel looked down at the floor instead of answering.

“Niall, you rode in with Zayn today didn’t you?” he questioned looking over at Niall.

“Yeah?” Niall answered in a questioning tone.

“Here…” Louis said pulling Marcel’s car keys out of his backpack where he knew he kept them. “Can you bring it to my house; it’s the black Lexus that’s normally parked a couple down from mine.”

“Sure mate, now get him out of here.” Niall took the keys and stepped aside.

 

*Louis’ POV*

I walked out to my car with Marcel pressed into my side, one of his hands crossed over his stomach and his eyes trained down at the ground. I felt horrible for what had just happened to him… if I had only been braver and stood up for him two weeks ago this would have never happened.

We drove back to my house in silence, his head leaning against the cold window with his eyes closed. When we pulled up to my house I pulled into the garage and snatched his backpack up, draping it over my shoulder before hurrying around to his door. Pulling it open, I slipped my arm around his waist and guided him into the house.

“Mum!” I called out knowing she was home since her car was in the garage.

She appeared a moment later with a smile that dropped as soon as her eyes landed on Marcel.

“What happened!?” She exclaimed setting her cup of tea down onto the counter and rushing over to examine him.

“An idiot at school… and I… I wasn’t there.” I replied with guilt laced through my voice.

“Take him into the living room and just have him lay down on the sofa; I’ll be there in a second.” Mum ordered before moving around us to get frozen peas from the freezer and a towel.

I led him into the living room and let him settle down on the sofa while I heard my mum bustling around the kitchen. Sitting down on the sofa I leaned across Marcel, careful not to touch his stomach, and ran my fingers over his non bruised cheek. He looked over at me and smiled tightly, pushing his face into my hand.

“I’m sorry.” I said leaning down closer to his face.

“It’s okay… it’s not your fault.” Marcel responded moving his hand to my knee and squeezing it.

“But it is… if I had just stood up for you, this would have never happened… he wouldn’t have dared mess with you.” I stated running my hand gently through his hair, not even caring about the gel stiff feeling.

“You weren’t ready to come out.” Marcel said looking up at me with understanding.

“But… that was because cared too much about what everyone thought. You were right I shouldn’t care about what the people that don’t matter think… and it took you getting hurt for me to realize that and that’s not how it should have been.” I said lowly so my mum couldn’t hear us talking. “I’m sorry that’s what it took.”

Marcel nodded and his smile went soft, “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

I smiled back at him before leaning down and kissing the corner of his mouth. Mum walked in a few seconds later and had Marcel sit up. She handed him to tablets to help relieve the pain and then after a couple minutes had him lay back down and pressed a bag of frozen peas to his cheek, another to his stomach, and another under his head where he’d hit the lockers. She was completely in nurse mood as she cleaned up his lip and made sure he was comfortable.

“Have you called Anne?” She asked finally backing away from Marcel.

I shook my head but it was Marcel who spoke, “No and please don’t.”

“But sweetheart, this is quite serious… You can’t let whoever did this get away with it, what’s to stop them from doing it again?” Mum reasoned looking down at him.

I knew she was going to call Anne no matter what Marcel said and he seemed to realize that too as he nodded slowly in defeat.

“I’m going to call her…” Mum said and started walking away just as the doorbell rang. “Soon as I get that.”

Once she was out of the room I looked down at Marcel who looked slightly uncomfortable lying with no pillow under his head.

“Wanna put your head on my lap?” I asked quietly and he nodded slowly.

He sat up slowly and let me slip underneath him before settling back down. The frozen peas against my leg were cold but I couldn’t bring myself to really care. I placed one arm across his chest and let my hand rest on his side, lightly stroking my thumb back and forth while my other hand moved to hold the other bag of peas to his cheek. A moment later Niall, Jessica, and Zayn appeared in the living room.

“Hey, how is he?” Jessica asked examining Marcel who now had his eyes closed.

“M’ alright.” He muttered, answering before I could.

Zayn sat down on the recliner near the sofa while Niall and Jessica took the loveseat. Zayn looked over at us with a quirked eyebrow; biting at his cheek and looking like he wanted to say something.

“Spit it out mate.” I chuckled lightly.

“I just… I never saw this coming.” He said slowly examining my hand that was placed on Marcel’s side.

“Me neither honestly… but you really should have figured something happened to make me stop harassing him.” I replied as Marcel opened his eyes and glanced over at Zayn, looking for acceptance.

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Niall asked.

“Cause I was scared. I was afraid that you guys wouldn’t accept me, that I wouldn’t be wanted on the team, and that it would ruin my rep and chances at a scholarship for Man U.” I admitted looking between them.

“What changed?” Zayn asked.

“I saw him get hurt; made me realize he was more important than all that other stuff.” I blushed and they laughed.

“Tony was suspended until they have a chance to talk with Marcel and a few people that witnessed everything.” Zayn spoke up. “And you should have just told us about you guys… we would have accepted you, you’re our best mate.”

“Thanks and good, hopefully he’ll get expelled… stupid prick.” I grumbled under my breath.

*~*

Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang again and I felt Marcel stiffen as Anne’s voice sounded. A second later she was there next to the sofa, cooing over Marcel as he blushed furiously.

“Mum! Mum! Stop, please I’m fine, I’m okay!” He said pushing closer to me to get away from her hands.

“You are not!” Anne exclaimed crossing her arms. “Who did this to you?”

“Tony.” Marcel muttered his reply and Anne’s eyebrows shot up.

“The one who came over that one time, the lad from down the street?” She questioned.

Marcel nodded his head and Anne huffed. “We’re definitely talking to the headmaster about this.”

*~*

Eventually, Anne decided it was time to go home and stood up to thank my mum for taking care of Marcel. I stood up and pulled Marcel up with me as the others stood to leave as well.

“I’ll drive your car.” I said looking to my mum for approval to stay the night at Marcel’s even though it was a school day the next day.

She nodded her head and I rushed up to my room to grab some clothes for the night and school. Back downstairs I picked up Marcel’s back, waving him off when he said he could carry it.

“Thanks for bringing my car over Niall.” Marcel said as they walked out through the garage.

“No problem mate.” Niall replied smiling over at him.

Mum and Anne chatted a minute longer, making plans to go have lunch one day. When they finished talking, I kissed my mum’s cheek and then got into the driver’s seat of Marcel’s Lexus. I followed Anne back to their house and walked in with my arm securely around Marcel’s waist.

Anne shooed us upstairs, telling us to take showers and then come back down for dinner, which Robin had been preparing. Once we were showered and changed, Marcel and I walked back downstairs and sat down at the dinner table with Anne and Robin. I noticed as we sat down that Anne looked deep in thought about something.

After dinner, Marcel and I trailed back up to his bedroom with a plate of chocolate chip cookies that Anne had made earlier and crawled up onto his bed. Marcel immediately snuggled into my side and I wrapped my arm around his shoulders; pressing my nose into his curly hair.

“Thanks for today.” Marcel said quietly turning his face into my neck.

“No problem.” I replied pressing my lips to his forehead. “Never letting anyone hurt you again.”

Marcel looked up at me with wide green eyes and pressed his nose to my jaw. I chuckled and hugged him tighter to me without hurting him.

We settled down and switched out the light for the night, homework long forgotten in our backpacks. Marcel curled up against mad, his arm draped over my stomach while my arm was still wrapped around him, my other hand resting atop the one he had on my stomach.

I kissed his lips softly and whispered ‘goodnight’ into his hair. I let my eyes wonder over his features once his eyes were closed. I took in how peaceful he looked… how happy he was. He was smiling in his sleep as he remained snuggled into me with his head resting on my shoulder. I couldn’t help but smile down at him and his soft features… pouty lips, sharp nose, soft cheeks, and defined jaw… he was rather perfect.

A feeling pooled in my stomach and it wasn’t something I had ever felt before. It something you rarely heard about anymore… and oh… it felt a lot like beginning of falling in love.


	22. Chapter 22

*Marcel’s POV*

The morning after the altercation with Tony I woke up feeling warm and almost too comfortable to move. Blinking a few times I was greeted with a face full of a rising chest clothed in a white shirt. The person squirmed in their sleep, a sign that they were waking up and I looked up just in time to see Louis’ blue eyes flutter open.

“Mmm, morning Marcel.” Louis greeted as he stretched under the covers.

 “Morning, sleep well?” I questioned noticing a dull ache at the back of my head and stomach.

“I did, how about you? Are you feeling okay?” He asked carding his fingers through my hair.

“I slept great and I’m a little sore.” I responded moving away from him carefully so I could get up even though I really didn’t want to.

“Probably should take some medicine after you eat.” Louis said sitting up and tossing the covers off.

I nodded slowly and shuffled over to my closest. I looked at my clothes and then pulled out the first things my hands touched, honestly not really caring what they were. As it would turn out it was a pair of blue skinny jeans and a black t-shirt.

“You’re going to where that to school?” Louis questioned in shock as he took in the outfit I was holding.

“I can’t be bothered to care right now.” I chuckled lightly and pulled a red plaid shirt out as well, something to hide the tattoos on my arms.

“Well, if you’re wearing that then you have to wear the black boots and maybe your contacts…” Louis suggested.

“Sure, why not. I’ll just take my glasses with me in case the contacts get annoying.” I shrugged tossing my clothes on the end of the bed.

“I’ll just change in the bathroom.” Louis said grabbing his bag and heading into the bathroom.

When he reappeared he was in his signature black skinny jeans and a white shirt while I was dressed in the blue skinny jeans with the black shirt and the red plaid shirt over it. We walked downstairs and found my mum in the kitchen humming to herself and preparing breakfast.

“Morning boys.” She greeted; smiling as we walked in. “That’s a different look for you Marcel…”

“I couldn’t be bothered.” I replied smiling over at her and she nodded.

“Hurry up and eat and finish getting ready or you’ll be late.” Mum said setting down plates in front of us with fry-ups.

We finished up breakfast and headed back upstairs to brush our teeth and finish getting ready. I stood in front of the mirror gelling back my hair while Louis stood off to the side brushing his teeth. Once I was finished we switched places so he could do his hair and I could brush my teeth.

“What do you think babe, messy or quiff?” Louis questioned looking at me in the mirror.

“Messy.” I replied loving when his hair was messy, it made him look young and carefree.

He smiled and continued on with his hair until he was satisfied with the way it looked. With our coats and shoes on we headed downstairs. I took some medicine for the ache in my head and stomach then picked up my backpack.

“Remember to meet with the headmaster. Have a good day boys!” Mum called as we headed out into the garage.

“You too mum!” I called back then shut the door that led into the house. “Here” I said tossing Louis my car keys.

With a smile he clicked open the doors and we climbed in as the garage door went up revealing the snowy landscape outside. Reaching over I switched on the radio and Olly Murs filled the car. We bobbed our heads along to the music as we drove to school. When we pulled up Louis parked in the spot he normally parked in and then hurried around to my door to open it.

I blushed at the gesture and noticed people watching us, trying to be subtle but not really as they walked past. Louis offered me his hand and I laced my fingers with his with a shy smile.

“You think we should head straight to the headmasters office?” Louis asked as we walked towards the school, huddled close as the cold winter air whipped around us.

“Probably, might as well get that done with.” I replied lifting my other hand to wave at Niall and Jessica who were approaching us.

“You two are the talk of the school right now.” Jessica said as they fell into step with us. “Everybody is whispering about you guys.”

“What are they saying?” Louis asked hesitantly and I squeezed his hand.

“Nothing bad from what I’ve heard, they’re mainly in shock and all whispering about yesterday.” Niall answered reaching over to give Louis’ shoulder a squeeze.

“Well, that’s always a plus.” Louis said letting out a sigh of relief.

Niall opened the door to the school building and we walked inside for the very first time since coming out. A lot of the students paused their conversations and stared at us with curious eyes. I wasn’t really sure if they were eyeing our laced fingers or my outfit, but either way their attention was in our direction.

“You know Marcel; I’m not so sure they’re focused on you two as much as they’re focused on you and those jeans…” Jessica giggled leaning close to me. “Least the girls seem to be focused on them.”

I looked around and saw a lot of the girls mouths slightly dropped open as we walked by and I blushed at the attention. Who would have thought an outfit would attracted this much attention, especially to me.

“You’re mine, remember that.” Louis murmured holding my hand tighter.

I nodded my head and smiled down at him. Eventually we made it to the headmaster’s office and the secretary nearly choked on her tea when she saw me.

“Heavens, Marcel? Is that you?” She asked in shock.

“Yes ma’am. We’re here to talk to Mr. Cowell.” I said and she nodded her head.

“Mr. Cowell can see you now, go ahead in.” She said pointing towards the door that said ‘Headmaster’.

“Fucking cougar.” Louis muttered as we walked away.

“Lou…” I laughed quietly giving him a nudge with my elbow.

“What? She was totally checking you out and she’s like in her thirties!” Louis whispered.

“Well, you’re the only one I want checking me out, so I wasn’t paying much attention.” I replied and what!? Did that really just come out of my mouth!?

Apparently it did because Louis jaw had dropped and he was staring at me with wide, darker blue eyes. I felt myself get hot under the collar; my cheeks shading red. That was probably the most sexual thing I had ever said in my life.

The door to the headmasters’ office opened revealing Mr. Cowell in a fitted black suit successfully drawing Louis’ attention away from me.

“Good morning boys! C’mon in!” Mr. Cowell greeted gesturing for us to come into the office.

Louis and I walked in and took our seats in two plush leather chairs sitting in front of the large desk.

“First of all, I’d like to ask, Marcel, how are you doing?” Mr. Cowell questioned taking a seat behind the desk and looking at me.

“I’m doing alright Sir, a bit achy, but fine.” I answered and he nodded with a sincere smile.

“Good. Now, tell me, what happened yesterday?” He asked leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

“I got my stuff from my locker and was going to leave when Tony stopped me. He was getting in my face and he slammed me against the lockers, he slapped me, and then he started to move away and I thought he was done but he turned around and punched me.” I explained and Mr. Cowell nodded.

“What happened after that?” He asked.

“He was yelled at me and kept slamming me into the locker until Louis came.” I answered glancing over at Louis.

“And what did you do Mr. Tomlinson?”

“I pulled Tony away from Marcel, punched him, and then shoved him into the lockers.” Louis replied looking up at the headmaster.

“Well, your story lines up with everything that the students who witnessed it said. Mr. Swift will be suspended for a while and you Mr. Tomlinson will have detention. I understand that you were defending him but I don’t tolerate violence at my school. So, serve your detention after school today and then you’re off the hook.” Mr. Cowell said with a small smile.

Louis looked shocked that he was only getting one day of detention.

“Thank you Sir.” Louis said with a tight smile.

“Stay out of trouble, now get going to class.” Mr. Cowell said handing us late slips.

We left Mr. Cowell’s office and headed off towards Music class. Before we got there Louis tugged me into the bathroom that was still labeled ‘out of order’.

“Louis what are we doing?” I asked as the door shut behind us.

My answer came with thin lips pressed to my own and arms wrapped loosely around my neck. I kissed back with my hands coming to rest on Louis’ hips for a moment before pulling away.

“I just wanted a kiss, figured the hallway might not be the best place since one of the staff could catch us.” Louis chuckled removing his arms from my neck.

I laughed and shook my head before turning to the door and walking out with him behind me.

The rest of the day was full of curious stares and girls gaping at me for whatever reason. Honestly, there was nothing different about me except my outfit, I was still a nerd. Louis was stuck to me like a magnet though and that I didn’t mind at all really. We sat together at lunch with Niall, Jessica, Zayn, Perrie, Danielle, and Liam; earning glares from Eleanor and her cheerleader friends.

At the end of the day Louis walked to my locker with me, fingers laced with my own as soon as we stepped out of English.

“You don’t mind dropping me off at my house do you?” Louis questioned releasing my hand so I could open my locker. “I mean… after my detention, which you really don’t have to stick around, I can always call Zayn or Niall.”

“Its fine Lou, I’ll just wait in the library and finish up my homework.” I replied pulling out the books I needed to finish my homework.

“Okay, if you’re sure…” Louis said shutting my locker for me.

“Positive. You better go, Ms. Harris is doing detention today and she doesn’t do late.” I smiled adjusting my backpack.

“Alright, I’ll see you in about an hour, yeah?” Louis replied pushing of the lockers he was leaning on.

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.” I said moving to pull away but he pulled me in a pecked my lips.

With a final smile he released my hand and headed off to the detention room. Turning on my heal I headed to the library. A few of the other footie players and some of the cheerleaders were standing in the hall that led to the library.

As I walked past them I could feel their eyes on me and I could hear them talking to each other, not trying to be quiet.

“Well, if it isn’t the fag that corrupted our captain.” One of the footie players sneered stepping in front of me.

“Corrupted? Please. Do you seriously think Louis actually likes him?” Eleanor jabbed moving to stand beside the guy in front of me and propping her elbow on his shoulder.

“You’re just a game to him nerd. You’re clearly easy to get and we can understand why… I mean who wouldn’t jump at the first chance they got to be with someone when nobody else wanted them.” Another footie player said giving my shoulder a shove.

“Louis’ just looking for a good fuck probably, figures he’s likely to score with you… though I’m not sure why he’d pick a guy… that’s totally gross.” The first footie player made a disgusted face.

“Ain’t got nothing to say for yourself nerd?” Eleanor asked glaring at me.

I remained silent; my eyes searching for an escape but finding none.

“Hold him.” Eleanor commanded and the buffest of the footie players looped his arms through mine and placed his hands on my back holding me in place despite my squirming.

“L-Let go!” I stuttered trying to get free.

“My, my he does have voice.” One of the other cheerleaders chuckled.

I kept squirming as Eleanor reached up and traced a finger down my cheek, the same one Tony had slapped yesterday. Her hand suddenly vanished and then collided with my face leaving an angry red mark forming.

“Oh me next!” another cheerleader cheered stepping forward and delivering an equally stinging slap to my face.

A whimper escaped my lips and I wondered where all the staff was at, surely somebody could hear what was going on. Luck was apparently on my side because not a moment after I thought it the librarian stepped out of the library. The footie players and cheerleaders scattered and I readjusted my backpack on my shoulder.

“Are you alright dear?” The librarian asked eyeing the students hurrying away.

“I’m fine.” I replied walking over to the entrance of the library. “Mind if I sit in here and wait for detention to get out?”

“Of course, dear, make yourself comfortable.” She replied then walked back over to the cart of books she was putting away.

Fifty minutes later Louis entered the room and walked over to where I was sitting.

“Hello love, miss me?” He questioned wrapping his arms around me from behind.

“Course.” I replied turning to look at him and he immediately frowned.

“Why is your cheek red?” he questioned reaching out to thumb over the slightly tender skin.

“Bit of a scuffle with some of the footie players and cheerleaders.” I sighed packing up my things.

“Who hit you?” Louis questioned.

“Eleanor and some other cheerleader.”I answered standing up. “It’s no big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to me… seriously you’re not walking around this school anymore unless you’re with Zayn, Niall, Liam, or me. I’m not going to let them hurt you. You’re mine and I protect what’s mine.” Louis stated firmly taking my hand.

I nodded my head and glanced over to make sure the librarian wasn’t looking before swooping in a kissing Louis full on the lips. Pulling away I smiled at him and he smiled back. We walked out of the library and out to my car hand in hand.

Back at his house we finished up our homework before deciding to write another song together since there was nothing else to do. I sat down with a pen and paper while he sat next to me with the red wine Gibson guitar I had gotten him.

We hadn’t gotten very far before Jay was calling us down for dinner. I hadn’t even realized it was that late until she knocked on the door and I looked up to see it was pretty much dark outside. I sent a quick text over to my mum letting her know I was eating at Louis’ before heading downstairs with Louis.

After dinner, Louis and I went back to his room and curled up on his bed with the notepad sitting on my lap in case we thought of lyrics.

“So… did they say anything to you today?” Louis questioned after a few minutes of silence.

“Yeah…” I replied clearing my throat. “They um they said that I was just a game to you and that you knew you could score with me even though it was gross.”

“You know that’s not true right?” Louis asked ducking his head down some to look me in the eyes when I didn’t lift them from the notepad.

“Yeah, I know.” I replied quietly.

“I’m serious Marce. You’re not a game to me and I am not looking to score with you.” Louis said and I looked up at him.

“Well, so glad you want to pound me.” I teased with a smile and blush because really the things coming out of my mouth…

Louis laughed and leaned forward to press our foreheads together.

“Oh I’d love to...” He whispered in a low voice that sent a chill down my spine. “But not until you’re ready.”

“Thanks.” I muttered leaning in to peck his lips.

It was something I was becoming more comfortable with; initiating kisses. I was losing the fear and uncertainty that he didn’t want to kiss me and was starting to just go for it. I loved the way our lips seemed to fit together like they were made for each other, just like the way our hands fit together.

“I really, really like you, ya know that?” Louis muttered pulling back some to brush his nose against mine.

I smiled big, dimple showing, and blushed a little. “I really, really like you too.”

“Good because I want to take you on a date, an official first date. We’ve been together for two months and I haven’t taken you out.” Louis said hugging me close.

“I wouldn’t object to going on a date.” I said snuggling into his side, forgetting the notepad that was on my lap.

“How about this weekend?” Louis questioned resting his head on top of mine.

“Sounds good to me.” I replied pressing my nose against his neck.

We stayed that way for quite a while, just cuddled together on his bed. I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of the body wash he used and the smell of his cologne; he always smelt good. I felt his hand rub up and down my arm, leaving chill bumps on my skin. I wondered if he felt that when I touched him… I wondered if he felt electrified and warm like I did when he touched me. I relished the feeling of his skin on mine and often found myself wanting to feel him even more, a thought that made me feel hot under the collar and blush fifty shades of red.

One thing was for certain… I was completely gone for Louis Tomlinson and I had a feeling that things were going to get better at school and just in general as long as we were together. 


	23. Chapter 23

*Louis' POV*

The rest of the week went by without a problem. Zayn, Niall, Liam, Jessica, or myself were at Marcel's side throughout the day; giving the cheerleaders and other footie players no opportunity to hurt him. Some of my teammates looked at me in disgust whenever we were in the locker room but none of them dared to say anything to me personally. It was an advantage being captain. I could convince the coach to bench somebody or kick them off the team without much effort. 

By the end of the week the whispers had died down and pretty much everyone was talking about whatever the latest gossip was. I never really minded being in the spotlight but it was a relief to have the attention off of me and Marcel.

The weekend arrived quickly and Saturday afternoon found me fretting over my outfit wanting to look my best for our first date. I knew Marcel wouldn't care about what I was wearing but I wanted to look good. Eventually I settled on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a grey shirt that was cut low enough to reveal the tattoo on my chest.. With my fringe swept to the side and the rest of my hair messy I pulled on my black jacket with a fleece lining that was only visible at the collar and headed downstairs.

"Are you leaving now love?" Mum asked when I walked into the living room where she was with my sisters.

"Yeah, I'm not sure when I'll be back. Call me if you need me to come home if you get called into work or something." I replied kissing her cheek and hugging the girls.

"I'm not on call today, you're free, just don't come back too late." Mum smiled.

"Okay, bye." I called heading to the garage.

I hopped into my Range Rover and let the engine warm up for a minute before pulling out into the snowy world. I pulled into Marcel's driveway a few minutes later and parked in front of the front door, thankful for the extra bit of driveway that circled around the fountain in front of the house. Knocking on the front door I waited for it to be opened which is was a moment later by Anne.

"Hello Louis!" She greeted cheerfully. "C'mon in, Marcel will be down in a second."

I walked into the warm house and followed her into the living room where to my surprise Robin sat. It was a rare thing lately that Robin was actually home; he seemed to always be on business trips. 

"Hello sir." I greeted sitting down on the sofa.

"Afternoon Louis and please call me Robin... Sir makes me feel old." He smiled and I nodded my head.

A few minutes later Marcel appeared clad in black skinny jeans and a cream colored sweater; he looked adorable. 

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting, are you ready to go?" He asked pulling on a coat similar to my own but a different color.

"Yeah." i replied standing up and walking over to kiss his cheek and hug him making him blush and Anne coo. 

I turned my head slightly and rested it against his shoulder. I could see Anne out of the corner of my eye and almost frowned... a look of guilt crossed her face. I didn't understand it... what could she possibly feel guilty about? A second later the look vanished and she stood up.

"You boys better get going." She smiled urging us towards the front door.

Marcel kissed her cheek and we walked out to my car. I opened the door for him and then hurried around to the driver's side. We headed off to a small cafe about 20 minutes from his house. I paid for our teas and blueberry muffins despite his protests. Once finished up there we headed over to a nearby park.

"A park?" Marcel questioned as we unbuckled our seat belts.

"Yeah, is that okay? I thought we could walk around and talk." I replied looking over at him.

"It's great." Marcel assured me then proceeded to climb out of the car.

I hurried around the front of the car and held out my hand for him to take. Our fingers laced together perfectly and despite the cold air around us, I felt warmth spread through me. As we walked I stayed close to Marcel, my free hand coming over to rest on his forearm. 

"Can you believe we only have three more months of school left?" I questioned looking up at him.

"No, it seems like it's gone by really fast." Marcel answered returning my gaze. "When do you find out whether or not you got your scholarship to Man U?" 

"Um I think at the end of the year. Man U is sending some people to the next few games and then they have to decided who they want out of our school and like six others. Only like three will get in out of the twenty that have been recommended." I explained and he nodded his head.

"I'm sure you'll be one, you're fantastic." He smiled squeezing my hand.

"What about you? What are you doing for Uni?" I asked.

"I applied at Man U and the University of London and um..." Marcel paused rubbing the back of his neck.

"And...?" I urged stopping and looking up at him.

"And um Harvard University." He said slowly and oh...

"T-That's in the US isn't it?" I questioned quietly.

"Y-Yeah it is... I wasn't... we weren't dating when I submitted the application. Mum thought it was a great idea because it's on of the top schools to study law. I figured there was no harm in applying, I'm pretty certain I won't get in anyways." Marcel explained worrying his bottom lip.

"Marce, you're like the smartest student at our school, you've never made a bad grade or anything less than a perfect score." I sputtered, shocked that he didn't think he had a chance.

Yes, Harvard was a very prestigious private school and it wasn't easy to get into, but Marcel had the grades and GPA to get in. They would be crazy not to accept him.

"I know but it's Harvard, Lou, and geniuses don't get in there. I'm not a genius, I'm just smart." He replied shaking his head. 

"They'd be crazy not to accept you." I said giving him a little tug so we could start walking again. 

"I don't know if I'd accept even if they did accept me." Marcel stated quietly, looking over at me shyly.

"What? Why?" I asked surprised he would even consider turning down acceptance to such a University.

"Because Lou, it's in America and... and you're not." He replied barely whispering the last part but I caught it.

"Oh." I responded dumbly, baffled that he'd stay here just because of me. "Oh sweetheart..." I continued stopping us again so I could wrap my arms around his neck and hug him. "I would miss you terribly but it would be such a massive opportunity for you."

"London and Man U offer great programs too though and they're here." Marcel argued hooking his chin over my shoulder and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I sighed and didn't respond, opting to just hug him tight. I really didn't want him to move away to the US. Sure, there was no guarantee that we would still be together at that point but if I'm being honest... I was hoping we were. The thought of him moving to another country  made my heart ache. And I knew. I knew that didn't happen when you just liked someone. That kind of ache didn't come from that. That ache came from being head over heels...

"I love you." The words tumbled from my lips in a soft whisper before I could stop them.

I felt Marcel tense in my arms and then pull back. He looked at me; his green eyes wide with surprise.

"Y-You do?" He stuttered in disbelief.

My eyes were a little watery as I looked up at him and took him in. He was all legs and a long torso with bright emerald green eyes, soft plump pink lips, sweet smelling curls, a sharp nose and jaw, and just handsome.

"Yeah... yeah I do." I answered with a smile and nod of my head.

As if my words unlocked a door that was holding back water, Marcel's eyes went glassy and he let out a soft choked sobs before lunging at me. His arms wrapped around my neck and he buried his face into the side of my neck. 

"I love you too." He sobs softly against my skin.

My smile grew on my face as I wrapped my arms around his waist and held onto him. We stood there in the middle of the park holding each other for I don't even know how long. Eventually he pulled back and I wiped away the stray tears from his cheeks with my thumbs. 

Tip toeing just slightly I pressed my lips to his and hooked my arm around his neck. I could feel him smile into the kiss and I couldn't help but smile too. 

*~*

Things didn't change much after we said those three words to each other. And I guess that's a good thing, right? We were on the same page and the only thing that was different was the whispered I love you's that we passed back and forth. I never really thought that at the age of 18 I would be in love with someone, especially after only two months of dating them.

I rolled over in bed and looked at my phone, the date and time flashing across the screen. There was only three weeks of school left... where had time gone? It really seemed like just yesterday I was standing in the park with Marcel and telling him I loved him for the first time when really it was almost three months ago now.

If you're wondering if we've had sex the answer is no. I've wanted to but Marcel wasn't ready and I wasn't going to pressure him into it; I was willing to wait. 

With sleepy eyes, I dragged myself out of bed and went through my morning routine to get ready for school. Downstairs, mum had breakfast ready and the girls were already there eating and laughing. 

Forty-five minutes later I was at school and leaning up against the building near the doors waiting for Marcel. Soon I saw him pull up and I smiled when I saw him step out of the car. Over the past three months his style had changed. He had decided that he didn't mind wearing skinny jeans and a t-shirt to school. Of course he typically made sure all his tattoos were covered, unlike me who had them on display most of the time. 

"Morning love." I greeted as he walked up the steps.

"Morning." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes like it normally did.

"Everything okay?" I asked wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug.

"Yeah, just didn't sleep well last night, but don't worry, I'm fine." Marcel replied pulling away.

"Okay." I replied reaching up to cup his cheek and kiss his lips.

A wolf-whistle sounded from behind him and we both turned to see Zayn and Niall smirking at us. 

"Bugger off!" I laughed sticking out my tongue at them and lacing my fingers with Marcel's.

We all walked into the school and headed towards our lockers.

"So are you excited for later Tommo?" Niall asked as we stopped at Marcel's locker. "We finally find out who got the scholarship."

"Yeah, I'm stoked but I'm nervous." I replied leaning against the lockers.

"Bout what?" Liam asked appearing next to me suddenly.

"We find out who got the scholarship today, if anybody." I answered looking over at him and he nodded his head.

I felt Marcel's hand slip back into mine and I smiled at him, pushing off the locker, so we could go to my locker. 

"Have you heard back from any of the schools you applied for Marce?" Liam asked curiously.

"Oh um yeah I did but I'm waiting for the others before I open the one I got, it should be in the post today or tomorrow." Marcel replied glancing at me then at Liam. 

I felt an uncomfortable tug inside me any time the topic of university was brought up because I knew there was a chance that Marcel would get accepted to Harvard and could end up moving. I put on a strong face though and hid how I felt. I didn't think he suspected anything... I didn't want to influence his decision and him make the wrong one. 

After school I headed to the locker room and got changed for practice with Niall, Zayn, and the other footie players. We went through our drills and kicked the ball around before coach called us in and had us gather around.

"Alright lads, I've received word on the scholarship from Man U and one of our own has been offered it." Coach Mike announced and excited whispers rose up.

I felt Niall's hand on my shoulder and glanced over to see him giving me an excited but anxious look. 

"So the person that received the scholarship and offer to play for Man U is.... Tomlinson!" Coach said turning to me and holding out the paper from Man U.

"Well fuck." I muttered in disbelief.

My teammates patted my back and congratulated me, well most of them did. Niall and Zayn hugged me and shook me, yelling that I had just gotten a scholarship. I snapped out of my surprised state and let out a loud 'whoop' before I realized I needed to tell Marcel.

"I gotta go!" I exclaimed hurrying off to the locker room with the paper gripped tightly in my hand.

I didn't bother changing out of my soccer kit I just grabbed my stuff and ran to my car. When I got to Marcel's house I raced up to the door and knocked excitedly until Marcel opened it.

"Lou?" He questioned surprised to see me since we hadn't planned on hanging out after school.

"I GOT IT!" I yelled holding the paper up for him to read.

Marcel took the paper and read it over and his face broke into a wide, dimpled grin.

"You got the scholarship! You're going to Man U!" He exclaimed wrapping his arms around my waist and picking me up to spin me around.

I laughed and held on tight as he spun me. 

"I'm so proud of you, Lou." He smiled and I dipped my head down to kiss him, my feet still not on the ground.

"Did you get your other letters?" I questioned once he set me down.

"No, not yet." He replied with a tight smile. 

"Well, why not just go ahead and open the one you have? Which one is it?" I asked as we walked into the kitchen.

"London and I guess I could." He replied picking up the letter off the counter.

I watched as we tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. He unfolded it and scanned over the page.

"Well?" I urged him to tell me what it said.

"Accepted." He smiled showing me the letter.

"That's fantastic babe!" I exclaimed glad he had the option of going somewhere that was a lot closer than the USA. 

*~*

The last three weeks of schooled past quickly and soon it was our final week. Everyone was in a hurry to have as many people sign their yearbooks as they could before the week ended. 

Every day I asked Marcel if he had received word from Harvard and he always shook his head and said no, not yet. He had received the letter of acceptance from Man U the day after he had found out he was accepted to London. 

The final day of school came and I found myself leaning against Marcel, my cheek resting against his shoulder and his arms surrounding me as we stood in our graduation robes. Next to us were Niall and Jessica in the same position, Zayn and Perrie whispering to each other, and Liam and Danielle talking quietly. 

Soon we were walking into the auditorium were our families and relatives all were. It was the nice thing about going to a school where everyone was rich. The school had nice features like this auditorium so we could hold graduation inside instead of outside on the football pitch.

One by one they called our names and we walked up to accept our diploma's. At the end of the ceremony Mr. Cowell said there were a few more things he'd like to announce. 

"I'd just like to announce that we had some scholarship recipients. Louis Tomlinson has received a scholarship to Manchester University to play football." Mr. Cowell announced the everyone applauded. 

He went through a small list of names, announcing the people that were given scholarships. 

"There is one final thing that I'd like to hand out this evening. I'd like for Marcel Styles to join me on stage." Mr. Cowell said and I looked Marcel as he got up and went to join him. "Earlier this year, Marcel submitted an application to one of the most prestigious universities, Harvard, and I'd like to present him with the letter of reply from the school." Mr. Cowell stated and my breathing hitched as he handed him the letter with a very proud smile. "Why don't you go ahead and open it."

Marcel looked around nervously. He found me in the crowd and I smile encouragingly and nodded my headed for him to open it. Slowly he ripped the seal and pulled out the papers. He read them over and then looked over at our headmaster.

"Accepted." He managed out and everyone in the building applauded, standing from their seats.

I felt a twist in my stomach and an ache in my chest but I stood up and cheered for my boyfriend as loud as I could.

After the ceremony was over Niall, Zayn, Jessica, Perrie, Liam, Danielle, and myself plus our families went to Marcel's house since he had the biggest out of all of us to celebrate. Anne had bottle a few bottles of champagne so we could do a toast and had hired a chef to prepare a meal for us. 

"I'm so proud of you baby!" I exclaimed throwing my arms around Marcel's neck. 

"Thanks Lou." He replied hugging me back.

"Do you know where you're going to go?" I questioned curiously.

"No, I haven't decided yet... I'm pretty sure I'm going to go to London or Man U though... I... I don't really want to go to another country and be away from you." he admitted and I hugged him tighter.

"I love you." I muttered into his ear, grateful he wasn't going to leave the UK.

"I love you too." Marcel responded softly.

It was past midnight when everyone began to make their way home. I kissed Marcel goodnight... okay I didn't just kiss him... I snogged him leaving our lips swollen and red and our tongues tasting of each other. 

At home I lay awake in my bed thinking how amazing university was going to be. I was going to play for Man U and I would have Marcel, I couldn't ask for anything more than that! I was almost asleep when my phone began to ring. Frowning I reached over and grabbed it off the nightstand. I looked at the I.D and my frowned deepened when I saw Marcel's name on the screen.

"Marcel?" I answered worriedly, why would he call so late.

I heard a choked sob on the other end and then some sniffles before a broken voice spoke...

"Louis..."


	24. Chapter 24

*Louis' POV*

"What's wrong sweetheart!?" I questioned rocketing up into a sitting position at the sound of his broken voice.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Marcel sobbed into the phone not answering my question and I began to panic.

"What are you sorry for love?" I asked. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I d-don't... s-she w-won't l-listen... I-I'm s-s-sorry." He replied between his chocked cries.

"Darling, listen to me... deep breaths... in and out... c'mon breathe for me love." I urged throwing the covers off of me and getting out of bed. 

I kept telling him to breathe as I hurried to pull on some clothes. It wasn't really working. He was almost hysterical; his breathing was short and quick. I snatched my keys off my dresser and ran out of my room and downstairs to my mums room where she was fast asleep. Sorry mum...

"Mum!" I hissed urgently shaking her shoulder.

"Mum!" I shook her harder.

"Dammit mother wake up!" I exclaimed and she jolted awake.

"What on earth Louis--" She started but I cut her off.

"I'm going over to Marcel's, something's wrong. He called me sobbing and he won't tell me what happened and I can't get him to calm down." I explained.

"Okay... okay go, get over there. Call my cell phone and let me know that everything is okay." Mum replied shooing me from the room.

I hugged her quickly with one arm, my other holding my phone to my ear, and then hurried out of her room. I ran through the house and outside to the garage. 

"Marcel, listen to me love, I'm coming, I'll be there soon but I need you to try and calm down darling." I cooed into the phone as his cries filled my ear.

"O-Okay. I'll t-try." He hiccuped in reply.

I could hear him trying to breathe properly and I relaxed a little as I drove out onto the main road towards his neighborhood. 

"You're doing so good love, in and out." I encouraged him as I pulled into their neighborhood beyond grateful that they had given me a sticker for my SUV.

I pulled up to the scanner, it scanned the sticker on my side window, and the gates opened for me to enter. I drove through as soon as I had room and went a little faster than I should have through the neighborhood.

"Okay, I'm here love, is the garage door unlocked?" I questioned pulling up and noticing the bay that Robin normally parked in was open and his vehicle wasn't there.

"Y-Yeah." Marcel stuttered as I parked in the garage and then he hung up.

I cut the engine and nearly tripped as I rushed towards the door. I darted into the house, through the kitchen only stopping when I caught sight of Anne in the living room.

"Where's Marcel? Is he in his room?" I questioned startling her.

She nodded tearfully and I raced on; I didn't care about anyone but Marcel right now. I took the stairs two at a time and then sprinted down to his room. Opening the door, I hurried in and closed it behind me, turning to find him curled up on his bed with his phone clenched in his hand.

"Marcel!" I breathed out as I kicked off my shoes and pulled my jumper off, not caring where it landed.

I dashed over to the bed and crawled in beside him, pulling him into my arms. He curled up against me and cried. 

"Love, please tell me what's wrong..." I pleaded quietly, my voice muffled by his hair.

He sniffled and pulled away from me, sitting up. I sat up as well and reached over to wipe the wetness from his cheeks. 

"A-After everyone left m-mum said that she and Robin n-need to talk to me. S-So we s-sat down in the l-living room and she a-apologized so m-many times, t-telling me that s-she didn't w-want to hurt me b-but the d-decision was a-already made..." Marcel stopped and took a deep breath, I could tell he was trying not to cry again.

"Shh baby, it's okay... what decision?" I questioned taking his hand and squeezing it.

"W-We're m-moving t-to M-Massachusetts b-because of Rob-bins w-work." He choked out and I think my heart stopped.

"W-What?" I asked, my shoulders slumped and my eyes started burning.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry!" Marcel sobbed throwing himself back into my arms. "I-I d-don't want t-to g-go!"

"Shh Shh." I cooed softly into his ear. "It's okay, we'll be okay."

I didn't say anything more and neither did he. We simply sat in the middle of his bed holding each other, silently crying. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be either at the same university or only three and a half hours away... not a whole continent away from each other! 

"What are we going to do?" Marcel asked still pressed against my chest.

"How long until you leave?" I questioned curiously.

"A week." Marcel answered and I choked on air.

"W-What? A w-week?" I stuttered completely defeated.

"They've apparently had this planned now for a couple weeks without telling me. They intended to leave one week after I graduated because that's when registration starts at Harvard. They kept it from me until the very last minute!" He said angrily pulling away so he could look at me. "Now I only have a week with you."

"You can't stay? I mean if you went to Uni here you would be in a dorm or you could get your own flat." I replied taking his hands in mine.

"Mum won't let me. Gemma is transferring to a school over there as well. Mum wants us all there, she wouldn't even listen when I asked to stay. I want to stay Lou, I don't want to leave you or the others behind. I just... I don't want this to be the end of us." Marcel stated weakly.

"It's not going to be the end of us." I replied firmly. "I just got to tell you I love you three months ago and I got to hear that you love me too, we are definitely not ending. We'll talk on the phone, text, and video chat as much as possible. And whenever we have a decent about of time off from school we can fly to each other. I'm not letting this ruin us. You've made me a better person. I love you and I'm not letting you go."

"I love you too." Marcel said leaning forward.

I smiled softly at him and leaned in as well to kiss him. 

"We'll be okay, you'll see, we're gonna make it through this, together." I said brushing my fingers over his cheek. "Let's not worry about it tonight though, let's get some sleep and then we're going to spend the entire week together."

"Okay." He replied with a smile pulling at his lips.

I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my mum letting her know I would call and explain everything in the morning and that I was spending the night here. After I sent the text I set my phone down on the nightstand and tugged my shirt off like Marcel had just done. We crawled under the covers together and he immediately snuggled up against me. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my nose in his sweet smelling curls. When I pulled back he tilted his head upwards and I dipped my own down; our lips meeting in a sweet kiss.

"Goodnight darling." I whispered breaking the kiss.

"Goodnight Lou." Marcel replied letting his head drop back to my chest.

His breathing evened out shortly after and my eyes drooped shut; sleep taking me over.

 

*Marcel's POV*

I woke up in the morning with my head still on Louis' chest, just like it had been when I fell asleep. I looked up at him and smiled softly. His lips were parted slightly, little puffs of air coming from him. His face was completely relaxed; his features soft, he's was stunning. I would miss him terribly.

The thought made the smile fall from my lips. I only had a week left here and then I was going to be taken away to a place I didn't want to go... I was going to be taken away from Louis and I didn't know when I would get to see him again beyond a computer screen. 

How could my mum do this to me? She knew how I felt about Louis! She knew how close we were getting! She knew I was in love with him! She knew! She knew but it wasn't enough for her to let me stay. Did she even realize how miserable I would be without him? The boy that had once been my bully (though she didn't know that) was now my world. Did she even care about my feelings or Gemma's or even Louis'? She was making me leave behind Louis and the rest of my friends... she was making Gemma leave behind her friends. There wasn't any arguing with her, her mind was set on all of us moving to Massachusetts. Robin had left not long after our talk last night. He was flying to the US early so he could take care of everything with the house they had already bought. 

Louis shifted underneath me drawing me from my thoughts. I looked up and saw his eyes flutter open. He blinked a few times then dropped his gaze to me.

"Morning." He said, his voice rough from sleep.

"Morning." I replied stretching up to kiss him, I didn't care about morning breath, I just wanted to kiss him as many times as possible before the week was up. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat." He answered running his fingers through my sleep mused curls.

"I'll make us breakfast, you can stay in bed if you like, I'll bring it up." I said crawling out of bed, wishing I didn't have to because the air was cold and Louis was warm.

"Alright, I need to call my mum. Don't take long, the bed isn't as warm without you in it." He smiled at me and I blushed.

I walked out of the room and down to the kitchen where mum was putting on a kettle. I went straight to the fridge and pulled out a pack of bacon and eggs. 

"Morning Marce." Mum said looking at me.

I looked over at her but said nothing. I didn't even want to be in  the same room with her right now, let alone speak to her.

"Marcel..." She sighed heavily.

I ignored her and focused on fixing breakfast. She got the hint. Instead of trying to talk to me again she simply poured the hot water into cups and placed tea bags in them before walking out of the room. I popped a few pieces of toast into the toaster at the last minute and then set then on the plates with the rest of the food when they were done. 

I placed everything on a tray and headed back upstairs. When I walked into my room Louis smiled at me and took the tray so I could climb back onto the bed.

"Looks delicious Marce." He commented picking up his fork.

We sat with our shoulders pressed together as we ate and talked about what we wanted to do this week.

"I want to take you to London." Louis said sipping his tea. "I wanna go on the London Eye with you. Maybe we could even stay there for a night, just us."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Do you think your mum will let you?" I asked feeling excited to spend a night alone with Louis in London.

Louis nodded his head since he had food in his mouth. "Definitely, she understands." he said after swallowing.

"What if we went to London today and stayed the night then flew to Paris and stayed until we had to come back..." I stated looking over at him. 

"I'd say I love you and let me go pack." Louis replied looking back at me.

"You want to?" I asked hopefully.

"Absolutely." Louis answered leaning over for a kiss.

I smiled and kissed him back. We finished our breakfast and took our plates downstairs to the kitchen where mum was rinsing out her cup. Louis handed her the plate when she reached for it and then turned to me.

"I'm going to run home and get what I need, I'll be back in about thirty minutes, okay?" He commented stepping forward to hug me.

"I'll be waiting and ready." I replied hugging him back.

He smiled, kissed my cheek, and then hurried out the door. I stared at the door with a small smile, feeling excited for the week despite the circumstance. 

"Ready for what?" Mum questioned snapping me back into reality.

"Louis and I want to go to London for the day, spend the night there, and then fly to Paris to spend the rest of the week together. That is fine right?" I questioned looking over at her.

It was probably extremely strange to her. Normally I was soft spoken and my voice never carried any attitude but my anger at her was seeping into my voice now. I didn't want to make her feel worse because I knew this wasn't entirely on her, Robin could have turned down the offer, but seriously I was 18, she could have let me stay here... with my boyfriend and few friends.

She sighed heavily, looking like she wanted to say no, but she decided against it. "I suppose that's fine... just be careful."

 "We will be. Thanks." I replied then left the room to go back my things.

I had just zipped up my suitcase when Louis came walking back into my room. He had changed his outfit; he was now wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a baby blue t-shirt with a beanie on his head.

"Ready to go?" He asked smiling at me.

"Yeah, I guess your mum was fine with it?" I questioned picking up my suitcase.

"Yup, she understood and even recommended a hotel in Paris, she said we had to stay there so I went ahead and booked it along with our flights." Louis replied following me out of my room.

"Oh? Which hotel?" I asked as we walked down the stairs.

"Can't tell you, it's a surprise." He said looking over at me and smiling.

I pouted but he shook his head and looked away; he was a sucker for my pouts. We decided to take his Range Rover so I put my suitcase in the backseat with his and then climbed into the passenger seat.

"Have you two got everything you need?" Mum questioned standing next to my window.

"Yeah, we do. I'll text you when we get to the hotel in London." I replied as Louis cranked the car.

"Alright dear, have fun and be safe. I love you." She said leaning forward to kiss my cheek.

"Love you too." I responded kissing her back.

With a final wave, Louis and I set out for London with the radio turned up. 

*~*

Three hours later we pulled up to our hotel, the Corinthia Hotel, which I had booked before we left the house. We walked into the lobby and were greeted by a young receptionist with blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail.

"Hello, do you have a reservation?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes, it's under Marcel Styles." I replied.

She tapped away on the keyboard in front of her before picking up a key-card and swiping it through the machine. 

She handed it to me and smiled, "You're in room 259, the lift is over there, floor 5. Enjoy your stay."

I thanked her, putting the key-card in my pocket and reaching for Louis' hand before heading towards the lift. We rode up to the fifth floor and then walked down the hall to our room. I unlocked the door with the key-card and opened it.

The room was white, blue, and grey with dark wood floors. Near the windows sat a large king size bed dressed in blue and silver set on a cream colored frame and headboard. From the window you could look out on the Thames River and you could see the London Eye. 

 "This is stunning Marcel." Louis commented setting his suitcase down as he looked around the room.

"I'm glad you like it." I replied smiling.

"So, how about we get changed and go shopping for a bit?" Louis questioned picking up his suitcase and setting it on the bed.

"Sounds good to me." I answered copying his actions.

We both changed into black skinny jeans but left our shirts on that we had driven down in. Pulling on our shoes we headed back down to the lobby then out onto the London streets. We didn't really buy anything other than food as we drifted around.

Soon the sun was beginning to set so we made our way over to the London Eye. I knew Louis had intended on paying for this but...

"I already have our tickets." I said as we walked up to the Eye.

"What? I wanted to pay for this." Louis pouted slightly.

"I know but you already paid for the hotel and flight to Paris." I shrugged dipping my head just enough to kiss his lips.

"Come on, we have priority boarding, I got us the cupid capsule." I said blushing slightly.

Louis smiled happily, lacing his fingers with mine, and tugged me towards the entrance. We boarded our capsule and were immediately handed glasses of Pommery Brut Royal champagne. There was a box of truffles set on a small table so I picked one up and offered it to Louis.

He bit down on the truffle, his lips grazing over my fingers a little. He hummed and closed his eyes as he chewed the bite. I popped the other half in my mouth and oh it was delicious. 

When we got to the top, the ride stopped so people down below could unload and then new people board. I stood behind Louis with my arms around him swaying back and forth slightly as we looked out at the river and the lights of London. It was stunning. He was stunning. This was perfect. 

Louis twisted in my arms so he could face me and draped his arms over my shoulders. He smiled softly at me then rested our foreheads together, both of us closing our eyes as we continued to sway. I felt him nudge his nose against mine a few times and after just over 5 months of dating I knew that was his way of hinting that he was about to kiss me. I tilted my head a little and our lips met in a tender kiss. His hand came to rest on my cheek, his thumb rubbing back and forth gently. I loved these moments. Louis appeared to be a tough person on the outside, with his tattoos and such, but he was so sweet and gentle sometimes.

 He pulled away and my eyes opened to find him already staring at me. His ocean blue eyes were looking back at me so lovingly... so filled of wonder and enchantment. He dropped his arms so they were wrapped around my waist.

"Love you." He whispered bumping his nose against mine.

"Love you too." I whispered back and then he tucked his face into my neck.

We stayed that way for the rest of the ride; his head tucked into my neck, his arms around my waist, and my arms around his shoulders. 

When we unloaded we headed back to the hotel; tired from the day. While he flipped through the channels on the TV, I slipped into the all white bathroom to take a shower. I pulled on a clean pair of boxers and some flannel pajama pants before walking back into the room.

Louis looked up and I felt his eyes scan over me. My cheeks started turning pink at his hungry graze. 

"I love your tattoos." He said getting up and walking closer to me. "They look so good on you darling." he continued as he ran his hand up my chest, letting it stop on my bare shoulder.

My breathing hitched.

His other hand wrapped around my neck and he kissed me hard before releasing me and walking towards the bathroom.

"I called room service and ordered us some food." He said then disappeared into the bathroom.

A moment later I heard the shower come on and I released a shaky breath. I'd be lying if I said my boxers weren't tighter than they had been when I put them on. I took a few deep breaths, willing myself to calm down and make the slight bulge in my pants go down. I was terrified of becoming intimate with Louis, afraid he wouldn't find me satisfying... but geez... I wanted him so bad.

Louis emerged from the bathroom in a pair of grey pajama bottoms and dropped down onto the bed beside me. I smiled over at him as the bed dipped and felt the air rush from my lungs. I'd seen him shirtless before, of course, but right now there was still a few dropped of water on his chest. Yeah, I definitely wanted him.

After our food had been delivered we ate sitting on the bed and watched a bit of TV before turning out the lights and crawling under the covers.

"What time is our flight tomorrow?" I asked resting my head on my pillow right next to his.

"Nine, so we should probably check out of here by 7." Louis replied reaching over to card his fingers through my hair.

I nodded my head and smiled at him, "You still won't tell me where we're staying will you?"

"Nope." Louis said popping the 'P'.

I sighed heavily but leaned forward when he did to kiss him.

"Goodnight love." Louis stated quietly.

"Goodnight Lou." I replied then let my eyes drop shut.

I felt him moved closer so he could drape his arm across my stomach and then we both drifted off to sleep.

*~*

The flight to Paris didn't take very long, less than an hour and most of that time was spent sitting in the plane waiting to take off or waiting to unload it seemed. When we walked out of the airport with our suitcases there was a black limo waiting out front. A man stood beside the limo holding a sign that said "Tomlinson" on it. Louis walked right up to him and I followed.

"Good morning sir, are you Mr. Tomlinson?" The driver asked, his French accent thick.

"I am." Louis replied shaking the mans hand. 

The driver opened the door to the limo and let us climb in before taking out suitcases and putting them in the boot of the car. We left the airport and headed towards the hotel that Louis had booked for us. We weren't in the car very long before we were pulling up to a fancy hotel called the Le Royal Monceau. The driver hopped out and hurried to open our door before going to the boot and taking out our suitcases. We walked inside the hotel, into a large lobby, and headed to the reception counter.

"Hi, I have a room reserved under Louis Tomlinson." Louis said before the woman behind the counter could ask.

She smiled, and like in London, tapped away on her keyboard before swiping a key-card and handing it to Louis with a pristine smile.

"Enjoy your stay, the lift is through there, you are on the top floor, room 147." She said pointing in the direction of the lift.

We stepped out of the lift and walked down the hall to our room where Louis smiled happily at me and opened the door. I stepped in and gaped at the room. The floors were a medium toned wood, the walls were kinda a rusty color and cream, the bed with large and dressed in the same colors of the walls. Looking out the window it seemed as though you could see all of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower.  **  
**

"Do you like it?" Louis asked snaking his arm around my waist.

"Love it, it's perfect." I replied moving to hug him and press my face into his neck. "Love you."

"I love you too." Louis said pressing a kiss to the side of my head. "Let's change and go exploring!"

I chuckled and went to my suitcase to change while he did the same. Once I was changed I headed into the massive all white bathroom and gelled my hair before returning to the bedroom. I had put my contacts in this morning; I hadn't been wearing my glasses much anymore since I had gotten used to wearing the contacts. Once Louis had fixed his hair we headed out, hand in hand, into the city ready to spend the rest of the week together.

*~*

Before we knew it we only had one more night in Paris and then the following day we were flying home. That evening we went to a restaurant called Le Cinq and had what was probably the most delicious meal either of us had ever eaten. I had snatched up the bill and paid it before he could protest or even see the amount, which was  _a lot_  by an average persons standards.

After we left the restaurant we took a cab to the Eiffel Tower and walked around holding hands, snapping a few selfies together as we went. Eventually we bought tickets to go up and soon found ourselves looking out at the city below. Cars and people going by. Car horns, car alarms, and the occasional shout or laughter from a human reaching our ears. It was like being on top of the word. Louis was leaning against my side, his arms wrapped around my waist and my own wrapped around him as we took it all in. It was Friday night... tomorrow we would return home and then Sunday I would leave for the US. 

"Ready to go back to the hotel love?" Louis asked squeezing my side.

"Sure." I nodded and we headed back down.

Back in our hotel room we lay on the bed in silence, neither of us knowing what to say. We needed to take showers but that meant not being next to each other. I looked over at Louis who was laying parallel to me with his head by my legs (my own by his legs). I studied him closely as he closed his eyes and let his hand wrap around mine; his thumb stroking my skin. 

As I lay there staring at him I hoped that he knew how much I loved him. We might not have started on the best terms, him having been my bully, but I hoped he knew I had forgiven him for all of that and now all I wanted to do was be with him. I wanted him to have no doubt that he was all I wanted and I knew how I could do that. It scared me still but this was our last night together and I wanted to give him something... so why not give him me?

I sat up and shifted causing Louis to open his eyes and look at me questioningly. I moved so that my face was hovering over his then dipped down; pressing my lips to his as I snaked my arm under him, his immediately wrapping around my neck. I held him close and kissed him with everything I had in me. Our tongues battled each other in a sultry dance. 

"Louis..." I whispered against his lips and then pulled back a little so I could look into his eyes. "I'm ready."

His eyes widened a bit as he looked up at me, "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

I nudged my nose against his and smile, pecking his lips, "Yes." I replied then pulled him with me as I moved to lay back on the bed; him now hovering over me.

***Mature Content***

He nodded his head and leaned down to connect our lips again. I felt the hand of the arm that wasn't holding him up trail down my arm and then slide under my shirt. His touch felt like fire. His other arm was under my neck, his thumb rubbing where my shoulder met my neck. He pushed my shirt up, disconnecting our lips long enough to tug it off and toss it over my shoulder, doing the same with his own before sealing our mouths back together. He caressed my skin softly; fingers dancing over my side, stomach, chest, and arms. Eventually I felt his hand dip lower to unbutton my jeans and my heart beat a little faster. He broke away from me and used both hands to tug my jeans off, once again doing to the same to himself before dropping back down to kiss me. 

With only our boxers separating us I could feel how hard he was and how large he was. That sole thought made me even more nervous. I'd never done this before but I had heard that it was painful and he definitely wasn't small so I could only imagine. 

"Hey..." Louis whispered pulling back. "What's wrong baby?"

"Nothing just... nervous." I replied blushing a bit.

"It's okay Marce, this is my first time too... I mean with a guy." He said stroking my cheek. "Just relax."

I nodded my head and let myself melt into him as our lips met again. I felt his fingers trail along the top of my boxers; asking permission. Hesitantly, I pushed my hips up a little causing our hard ons to brush against each other making us both moan. He straddled my waist and tugged the boxers down without disconnecting our lips ; leaving me bare. With a little bit of confidence I brought my hands up to run down his sides and then gripped his boxers, pushing them down his tone legs. He kicked them off and then lowered himself onto me, our lengths colliding. 

For a while he just rocked his hips against mine and sucked a few love bites into my neck. Suddenly he got off of me and went over to his suitcase. He pulled out a few foil packets then hurried back over. Pushing my legs apart with his hands, he settled between them and ripped open one of the packets. I watched as he drizzled some of the clear substance onto his fingers and then set the packet back down. He leaned over me and attached our lips as he dropped his fingers between my legs. I felt a cool, slick finger circle around my entrance and I gasped at the cold feeling. I couldn't believe we were doing this and...  _oh..._ I let out a pained groan as his finger slid into me. 

"Relax love." Louis cooed against my swollen lips. "Deep breaths."

I took a few deep breaths, willing myself to relax and soon it didn't hurt as much. He pushed his finger in and out of me for a few minutes before adding another. I tried to stay relaxed; focusing on the way his lips felt against my neck and the sound of his voice occasionally whispering sweet things into my ear. By the time he had three fingers inside me I was whining and begging for more especially once I rocked my hips up, causing his fingers to go deeper, and them graze over my prostate. 

He removed his fingers and reached for another foil packet. He ripped it open and pulled out a condom, quickly rolling it down his long, thick length. Snatching up another packet, he opened it and drizzled the lube onto the condom then spread it around. Louis moved so he was hovering over me again, one arm supporting his weight while the other positioned himself to enter me. He kissed me hard as he began to push in. My eyes squeezed shut at the burning stretch, he was definitely bigger than his fingers. Once he was fully in he stopped moving. His lips were brushing against every inch of my skin that he could reach.

"I love you." He whispered into my ear. "I love you so much, you're so perfect."

My heart soared at his words.

"I love you too, so much." I replied in a breathy voice. "Y-You can move."

He rocked his hips slowly and I groaned at that feeling; it wasn't quite pleasurable yet but it was getting there. A short while later I was asking him to go faster, the pleasure having taken over as he hit my prostate. We were both panting and I could feel heat pooling inside me. He kept driving into me, his hips stuttering every now and then.

"I'm c-close." He panted into my neck.

"M-Me too." I moaned throwing my head back in pleasure. "L-Louis... I... ohh...h-harder r-right t-there."

My body rocked as he went harder. I fisted the bed sheets and moaned. I couldn't believe how amazing this felt.

"LOUIS!" I cried out and came between us suddenly.

His hand was on the back of my head and he continued to thrust into me. 

"F-Fuck... Marcel." He moaned; hips jerking. "I love you... y-you feel so good just like I imagined... Shit... tell me you love me darling." 

"I love you, I love you, I love you." I replied turning my head so my lips were at his ear as I wrapped my legs around his waist, wincing at the sensitivity.

"Marcel!" Louis exclaimed; his hips jerking a final time as he spilled into the condom.

***End Mature Content***

He rolled off of me and removed the condom, tying it off and tossing it into the trash can near the bed. I remained on my back panting, trying to to catch my breath. Louis grabbed a few tissues from the bed side table and wiped off my stomach. We lay there together in silence, arms wrapped around each other, just staring; no words were really needed. 

"Let's take a shower?" Louis suggested; his voice soft.

"How about a bath, I'd love to use that big tub." I said speaking of the large white tub in the bathroom that had red candles around it's edge and had a perfect view of the city lights.

"Sounds lovely." Louis hummed and forced himself to pull away from me.

I went to stand up and groaned, my bum was so sore. Louis chuckled and I pouted at him.

"Don't laugh, it's your fault." I whined as I walked slowly towards the bathroom.

"I'm okay with that." Louis replied smirking at me.

I turned on the faucet and began filling the tub while Louis grabbed a lighter and lit the candles. Soon the room smelt of vanilla (from the bath soap) and faint cinnamon (from the candles). I lowered myself into the almost hot water and hissed a little as it stung my bum a bit. Louis climbed in and situated himself behind me, drawing me back so I was pressed to his chest. His hands rubbed up and down my arms and across my chest gently while his lips pressed tender kisses to my temple and neck. We stayed in the tub, whispering to each other, kissing occasionally, and staring out at the city. The water was turning cold before we cleaned up and got out. 

I wrapped one of the fluffy hotel towels around my waist and picked up my tooth brush to brush my teeth while Louis finished towel drying his hair. I closed my eyes and just stood in the quiet moment. I felt arms go around my waist from behind and lips press against my shoulder blade; opening my eyes I looked into the mirror and into Louis' bright blue eyes. Finishing up brushing my teeth I placed my brush down and twisted in Louis' arms so I could kiss him then step aside so he could brush his teeth. 

I noticed he had dropped his towel on the floor instead of wrapping it around his waist; giving me a perfect view of his round bum, I nearly whimpered at the site. Deciding to mimic his previous actions I pressed myself up against his back, wrapping my arms around his waist. He smiled in the mirror; his teeth covered in white foam. I felt more confident now that we had actually gone all the way. Ducking my head I pressed my lips to his neck, slightly parted, and began to suck and nibble at his soft skin only stopping long enough from him to rinse his mouth.

As soon as he set his tooth brush down I went back to his neck, suckling on the tan skin (one of the wonders of him playing football). His head fell back onto my shoulder and moaned as I nipped at the junction of his neck and shoulder. I felt one of his hands reach back and grip the towel still around my waist and yank it away. His hand came up to grip my neck as kissed across his shoulders and I felt him rock his hips back. It's immediate that I'm hardening and I knew he knew because suddenly he was spinning in my arms, wrapping his arms around my neck, kissing me hard, and grinding into me. 

***Mature Content***

We somehow made it to the bed, still messy from earlier. Louis was propped up on his elbows as I straddled his waist kissing him with passion; love and lust. I felt him reaching blindly to grab the four  unopened packets that still lay on the bed. He pressed them into my hands and fell back onto the bed panting; lips swollen and red. 

With shaky hands I took one of the packets and tore it open. Pulling out the condom I rolled it down his length and he moaned under my touch. Once it was one I grabbed another packet and pulled out another condom to put on myself to keep from getting us all messy again. 

Louis grabbed another packet and sat up to squeeze some lube onto his fingers. He snaked his arm around me and slipped two into me. I groaned, still a bit sensitive. I was still stretched of course, but he whispered he just wanted to make sure he didn't hurt me. Soon he added a third finger and then removed them. Grabbing the last packet, he rubbed the lube over his length and then snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me closer.

"Go ahead baby..." Louis spoke softly.

Reaching behind me, I took hold of his hard length and positioned it at my entrance. Slowly I sank down and let my head fall back with a moan. I was sore but it felt so good that I probably sank down quicker than I should have.

"Marce..." Louis gasped as I took him completely. "Geez..."

Louis collapsed back against the pillows, his hands gripping my thighs. I moved my hands to his chest and lifted myself up before dropping back down causing us both to moan. It felt deeper like this. I swiveled my hips a few times then began to ride him. His length pressing against my prostate with every downward motion from me. 

"Lou... Lou please." I panted, my legs growing tired after a while. 

Louis planted his feet on the bed and gripped my hips before thrusting upwards. 

"Lou!" I moaned loudly. "F-Faster. Please."

His hips jerked up faster and his fingers tightened on my hips, I wouldn't be surprised if there were bruises. Suddenly we're moving and I'm on my back with Louis leaning over me, still thrusting. His hands laced with mine as they rested on either side of my head. I could feel myself quicken and heat pooled inside of me.

I managed to choke out his name as I realized into the condom. Louis dipped down and pressed his lips to my neck as he continued to thrust. A few thrusts later he released and then slowly pulled out. He took both of our condoms and got up to toss them in the trash.

***End Mature Content***

I fell back onto the bed completely exhausted but stupidly happy. We let the A/C cool our overheated skin and then crawled under the covers. Louis pressed up against me and I smiled at him completely blissed out. 

"I'm glad we waited... that was... incredible." Louis whispered reaching up to brush a few of my curls off my forehead.

"Me too, doing it with you made it even better." I said with a blush on my cheeks.

He cooed at me softly before pressing quick pecks to my lips. Pulling back, he settled his head on the pillow and pressed into my neck.

"Goodnight baby, I love you." He whispered against my skin.

"Goodnight Lou, I love you too." I replied then drifted off to sleep for the final time with my love in my arms.

 

*Louis' POV*

Marcel and I arrived back in London at 11AM the following morning. It had been quite something this morning getting out of bed and no I didn't blush thinking about what we had done the night before, twice. I had never felt so connected to someone before. When I had woken up and went to stand up I had let out a very manly squeak as little bit of pain shot from my torso, a result of so much thrusting. Marcel had chuckled with red cheeks but his laughter ceased as he stood up and groaned. 

I think I wore a smug smile on my face from that point until we arrived back in London. As we loaded our suitcases into my SUV a sudden reality hit me... at this time tomorrow, Marcel would be on a plane to America. The thought was sobering and my mood dropped considerably. Marcel noticed because a second later he was taking my hand and squeezing it with a sad smile on his face. 

We drove back to Doncaster, arriving there around 2:30. I pulled into his driveway and we were greeted by the site of two large moving trucks, men carrying boxes inside them. I parked in Robin's spot and we got out of the car slowly. Taking our suitcases, we walked into the house and were greeted by Anne.

"Marcel, Louis you're back!" She smiled hugging us both. "Did you enjoy yourselves?"

"Yeah we did, it was amazing." Marcel replied squeezing my hand and looking over at me with loving eyes.

"That's wonderful." Anne said as she continued to pack the last of the glasses into a box marked fragile. "Oh, darling I almost forgot, your room is all packed. Liam, Niall, and Jessica came over yesterday and packed it for you. Also, before Louis leaves tonight you need to give him the keys to your car. Jay has agreed to take them and get them sold for us." 

I watched as Marcel nodded and his shoulders slumped, reality setting in even more. We walked upstairs and he sat down on his bed in the now empty room. It looked so bare. I sat next to him and rested my head on his shoulder, lacing our fingers together. 

"This is shit." He muttered quietly.

And I chuckled lightly because it really was. It was such shit that they were making him move to another country. It was shit that they were taking him away from me. It was shit that I wouldn't be able to see him in person every day. It was shit that I wouldn't be able to kiss him. It was shit that I wouldn't be able to hug him. It was just shit.

"I know." I replied quietly. "We'll make it through it though, I promise our love won't fade." 

He nodded with tear filled eyes and wrapped his free arm around me, hugging me tight. 

Before I left later that evening he gave me the keys to his car after making sure it was empty of all his personal things. Mum and I would come and retrieve it tomorrow. We stood next to my car staring at each other through blurry eyes. I wrapped my arms around him and felt him wrap his around me. 

"I'm going to miss you so much sweetheart..." I whispered into his ear trying and failing not to cry.

"I'm going to miss you too boobear." He whispered back and I could feel his tears on my neck. "I'll call you as soon as I'm there and I'll text you every day after that, and video chat at much as possible."

"And I'll answer every day." I promised breathing in the sweet smell of his hair for that last time for who knows how long. 

We stood there for a while longer, the warmer June air blowing around us, just holding each other close. I pulled back just enough so I could look into his green eyes.

"I love you. I love you so much." I stated not dropping his gaze.

"I love you too... so much." Marcel replied with a quivering lip.

I surged forward and kissed him soundly. Our lips moved in sync; slotting together perfectly. Our lips, our hands, our bodies in general fit together as though we were made for each other; so flawlessly. We kissed until we had to break apart for air. We whispered final 'I love you's and shared one last, long, tender but passionate kiss before I forced myself to get into my car and leave. 

When I got home I walked into the house and hugged my little sisters as they rushed to greet me with my mum close behind. As soon as she hugged me I broke down into tears and sobbed into her shoulder. 

"I don't want him to go mum." I cried.

"I know baby, I know, but you'll be together again one day. You gotta be strong for both of you just like he's going to be." Mum said rubbing my back and rocking us back and forth gently.

Once I calmed down I went to my room and collapsed onto my bed; completely exhausted. Nevertheless, I text Marcel until he fell asleep. Our last texts before we fell asleep were simple but meaningful I love you's. 

The next morning I woke up and looked at my phone's clock... 6:30AM.

Marcel's flight had left at 6.

Tears blurred my vision.

He was officially gone from the UK.


	25. Chapter 25

*One Year Later*

*Marcel's POV*

I sat in my law class and listened to my professor drone on about something; I really wasn't paying attention. I know what you're thinking... Marcel Styles NOT paying attention in class!? Well, normally I would but my mind is somewhere else; namely Louis. 

I hadn't had a proper conversation with my boyfriend in almost four months. The first six months after I was forced to leave were rough but bearable. Louis and I talked everyday on the phone and we video chatted as often as possible. Five months after I had left our one year anniversary came around. That week, I flew home, thankful it wasn't long after Thanksgiving so I was on break from school still. 

***Flashback***

_I  purchased my plane ticket to Manchester and then while looking on the Manchester Airport site I booked two tickets to Italy, but didn't tell Louis. When I arrived in Manchester, Louis was waiting outside security when I came through. He ran up to me and threw his arms around my neck. I hugged him tight, lowering my head down so I could bury my face in his neck._

_"I've missed you so much darling." Louis whispered warmly into my hair and I was crying._

_"I've missed you too Boo." I replied pulling back to kiss him._

_"C'mon, let's go back to my dorm, Zayn's out for the day with Perrie." Louis said lacing our fingers together._

_I followed him, smiling, happy to have his hand in mine again. We went out to his Range Rover and I tossed my suitcase into the backseat before climbing in. The drive to the University didn't take too long and soon we found ourselves in Louis and Zayn's dorm room. As soon as I set my suitcase down and took of my shoes, Louis was on me; his lips smashed against mine._

_Wrapping my arms around his waist I kissed him back with equal passion and longing. When he rocked his hips into mine I pulled away. The secret tickets to Italy were burning a hole in my pocket._

_"We've got all week for that Boo." I said smiling shyly at him._

_"Not really, Zayn will be here sometimes and he definitely won't allow it." Louis replied with a small pout on his slightly swollen lips._

_"Zayn won't be where we are at all." I responded and Louis quirked an eyebrow at me._

_"How so? He lives here too..." Louis stated in confusion._

_"Because..." I started; pulling the tickets out. "We'll be in Italy."_

_Louis gaped at the tickets in my hand._

_"You got us tickets to Italy!?" Louis questioned looking up at me._

_"Yep, it's our anniversary this week and I wanted to spend the entire week with you, alone." I smiled and he beamed at me before throwing his arms back around me and hugging me._

_"I love you!" He laughed, nuzzling my ear._

_"I love you too." I replied holding him close._

_Honestly, you wouldn't have thought tickets to Italy would be a big deal, because even though his family didn't have as much money as they used to, they were still wealthy. Tickets to Italy wouldn't normally be a big deal to either of us, but this was for something special._

_"When do we leave?" Louis asked moving to sit down on the sofa in their small living room._

_"This evening actually, I didn't want to waste any time." I replied sheepishly._

_"I guess I better pack then shouldn't I." He said leaning over to kiss me sweetly before heading towards his room with me in tow._

_Later that evening we found ourselves on a plane to Venice, Italy. When we landed there was a car waiting to drive us to our hotel, the Palazzo Paruta. It was small, only 13 rooms arranged on four floors; it was rather romantic._

_"Good evening Sir, do you have a reservation?" The lady behind the check-in desk asked politely._

_"Yes, under Marcel Styles." I replied offering her a tired smile._

_"Ah, yes Sir, Mr. Styles! Here is your room key, you are on the top floor, room 12. Enjoy your stay!" She smiled handing me the room key and gesturing to the lift._

_We thanked her and walked over to the lift, taking it up to the fourth floor where we walked down to our room door. I unlocked the door and opened revealing the room. The walls were red, the curtains were red, the canopy over the bed was red, the sheets on the bed were white with red pillows; overall it just had a romantic feel to it, which was what I had been aiming for._

_"This is perfect love." Louis stated after looking around the room._

_"I'm glad you like it." I replied as he walked over and snaked his arms around my waist._

_"Let's get some sleep, yeah?" He looked up at me with tired eyes and I nodded in agreement._

_We brushed our teeth, slipped out of our clothes, leaving on our boxers, and then crawled into the large bed; snuggling up together in the middle. With my arms wrapped tightly around him I fell asleep, happy to have no distance between us._

_In the morning I woke up to sweet kisses being pressed to my neck and soft whispers in my ear. My eyes fluttered open and were greeted by ocean blue ones staring back at me._

_"Good morning." Louis smiled dipping down to kiss me._

_"Morning." I mumbled against his lips._

_"Care to get some breakfast and then explore Venice with me?" He questioned pulling away and climbing out of bed._

_I stretched and nodded my head in reply before getting up. I watched as he walked to the bathroom, calling that he was taking a shower. Once the door was shut I went to my suitcase and picked out what I was going to wear, settling on black skinny jeans and a cream colored sweater._

_Soon we were both showered and dressed and heading down to the breakfast buffet. Once we finished our food we walked out out the hotel hand in hand. The entire day we spent exploring Venice; walking around, talking pictures, laughing, and just enjoying having each other._

_When the evening came we ended up at the Riviera restaurant which was located on the canal. We were sat next to the water, giving us a beyond stunning view of the sunset._

_"So I was thinking, maybe instead of staying here the whole week we could fly down to Naples?" I suggested looking up at Louis from my food._

_"I wouldn't mind going there, we could take the ferry down to Capri and go to the green grotta." Louis replied swallowing his bite of fish. "On one condition though... we have to go for a gondola ride after we're done eating."_

_"Condition accepted." I smiled picking up my glass of white wine._

_As soon as we were done eating, Louis and I paid to go on a gondola. It was rather magical, the lights on the buildings and the stars overhead._

_The following morning I awoke with a sore bum; not that I was complaining. Reconnecting with my boyfriend in such a way... I didn't mind the soreness. We got on our plane and took the short fight down to Naples. Once there we made our way down to_ _where the ferry was set to leave to head to Capri. For the two hour trip Louis and I chatted with a few people visiting from America, Australia,  and the UK._

_Upon arrival on Capri we went directly to our hotel, the Hotel Punta Tragara, and checked in then hurried off to our room. The room was large with a large circular bed dressed in white. There was a large balcony with a stunning view of the ocean. The bathroom was massive with a large tub, perfect for two, looking out onto the water._

_We changed our clothes then headed out to rent a private boat for the day. As Louis had suggested we went to the green grotta. It was truly stunning the way the light reflected off the water._

_Back at our hotel, we collapsed onto the bed exhausted from the day. I couldn't have imagined spending our anniversary any other way._

_"Oh, I almost forgot, I got you something..." Louis said suddenly getting up and walking over to his suitcase._

_He pulled out a small wrapped box and handed it to me with a smile. Sitting up I unwrapped the box and opened the lid revealing a small paper plane necklace. I pulled it out and examined it, noticing a small inscription under one wing._

_"L <3 M"_

_It also had our anniversary date on it, just below the L and M. I smile softly up at Louis who was biting his lip._

_"I love it..." I said reaching for the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss. "I love you."_

_"I'm glad and I love you too." He replied pulling away with a smile._

_We took quick showers and then fell into bed together, a mass of tangled limbs. We'd only been together intimately now three times, the fourth in progress, and every time a scarlet blush rose up onto my cheeks. I had always been shy, though that faded a little once I started dating Louis, but being laid out and stripped down by Louis brought that shyness back. He seemed to love it though, cooing in my ear how perfect I was and how beautiful I was with my cheeks stained pink because of him._

_We had spent two nights in Venice and this would be our second night in Capri, leaving us only two nights left together in Italy and three nights before I had to board a plane back to the United States. It wasn't home so I never called it that._

_"Hey Marce?" Louis questioned turning on his side after his breathing returned to normal._

_"Hmm?" I hummed out with my eyes still closed in bliss; body still tingling with pleasure._

_"I was thinking maybe instead of staying here we could fly over to Barcelona in the morning and stay a night there then take the bullet train up to Paris." Louis said snuggling into my side._

_I opened my eyes and looked over at him, his face so hopeful that even if I hadn't intended on agreeing I would have._

_"Sounds like a plan." I said getting up to retrieve my laptop from my suitcase before sitting back down on the bed._

_Louis sat up and rested his head on my shoulder while I booked our flight. Once I was done he took the computer from me and proceeded to purchase our tickets for the train to Paris. Putting the laptop away I crawled back into bed and fell into a peaceful sleep with Louis pressed to my back._

_In the morning we were up just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. Dressed in sweatpants and jumpers we took the two hour ferry ride back to Naples and then hopped on a plane to Barcelona. Another two hours later we were getting off the plane and walking out of the airport to hail a taxi._

_"Good morning!" The young driver greeted us, his accent thick. "Where can I take you?"_

_"Hotel Arts Barcelona, please." I replied and he nodded, pulling away from the curb._

_A while later we arrived at the 44 story hotel that sat right on the water. I paid the driver and he bid us a good day before driving off. Louis and I walked into the hotel and were greeted immediately by the middle aged receptionist at the counter. She handed us our room key and we rode the lift up to the 33rd floor. Our room was large with white walls, a white covered bed, and dark brown accents. Out the windows we had an absolutely stunning view of the Mediterranean sea, perfect for watching the sun rise and set._

_"You always pick the most amazing hotels love." Louis commented wrapping his arms around me from behind._

_"I try." I replied and we both laughed._

_"I say we hit the spa, I heard someone talking in the lobby about how amazing it was. I could go for some extreme relaxation." Louis said pulling away only to take my hand and pull me towards the door._

_I followed him willingly and we took the lift up to the 42nd floor. After looking at the menu we both decided on a hot stone chocolate massage. To describe it in a single word... it was... heavenly. We walked out after an hour and a half feeling relaxed._

_We went to the Bites restaurant in the hotel and ate chicken club sandwiches for lunch before deciding to head out and explore. The entire day we walked around, fingers laced together, exploring Barcelona until the sun began to sink in the sky._

_"Hey, why don't we go sit on the beach and watch the sunset?" Louis inquired as we arrived back at the hotel._

_I nodded and we walked down to the beach that the hotel sat on. We sat down in the sand, leaning up against the wall of the stairs we had just come down and stared out at the water. Louis slipped his arm through mine and laced our fingers together, snuggling close and resting his head on my shoulder. I rested my head on top of his and let out a content sigh; this was perfect... watching the sunset with my boyfriend._

_The sun began to dip below the horizon and the sky turned magnificent shades of pink and orange. Louis pulled out his phone and opened the camera before pulling me up. He draped his arm around my neck and held up the camera with his free hand. With our foreheads resting together he snapped a picture._

_"One more." He said holding the hand with the camera back out._

_He leaned in and connected our lips sweetly, his arm still draped around my neck and my own coming up to cup his cheek tenderly. I heard the camera take the picture but kissed him a minute longer. As the last bit of light fell from the sky I pulled away and smiled at him. With whispered 'I love you's we hurried back to the hotel. We ate dinner at the Bites restaurant again, this time ordering mouth watering burgers, before retiring to our room._

_Since our room was on a corner, there was both a view of the sea and of the city. After I had brushed my teeth I walked over to the window with the city view and stared out at the lights. I sighed heavily and wished I could just stay here forever. A place where I could just be with Louis and not have to worry about school or trying to find time for him. Of course, I didn't try to find time, I made time even if I didn't have any to spare._ _Strong arms wrapped around my waist, startling me._

  _"What are you thinking about?" Louis asked quietly._

_"Staying here forever with you..." I admitted, cheeks going pink._

_Louis looked into my eyes and I could see them sparkle with happiness with a whinge of sadness because he knew that wasn't possible._

_"I wish we could too... I like being able to hold you every night, kiss you every morning, and hug you whenever I want. I just... love being with you." He replied softly reaching up to run his fingers through my curls._

_"Me too." I replied tilting my head into his touch and offering myself to him._

_In the morning we woke before the sun had even risen into the sky. We changed into comfortable traveling clothes and with our suitcases in hand we checked out of the hotel and headed to the train station. We loaded onto the train and took off towards Paris._

_Six hours later we arrived, tired from the long ride. There was a fancy black car waiting to take us to our hotel, which Louis had booked while we were still in Barcelona without my knowing. A while later we pulled up to the Hotel Fouquet Barriere._

_We fell onto the large king size bed and curled up together for a quick nap. When we awoke we took quick showers and pulled on some suitable clothes before heading out. After a brief stop in a small cafe for food we walked around, snapping pictures together as we went._

_In the evening we ended up walking across a bridge that was covered with locks. I reached out and looked at a few. They all had two names and a date. I smiled at the cheesiness of it. I watched as a young couple put a lock on the bridge and then tossed the key into the water below. When I turned back to Louis I noticed he was fiddling with something in his hand. He noticed me staring at him curiously and he held up a padlock._

_"It's made of titanium." Louis smiled. "I had it made a couple months ago with the hope we would still be together and would come back here to put it on."_

_I examined the lock, a fancy design scrolled around its edges with our names scrolled in fancy script in the center with our anniversary date. I flipped it over and on the back was written "Forever I Love You"._

_With tears threatening I threw my arms around him and kissed him hard, not caring about the people around us. Together we hooked the lock onto the bridge with thousands of others and locked it in place. Louis took the key to the lock in his hand and with a nod of my head he tossed it into the water. After a few pictures of the lock and us we hailed a taxi back to the hotel, anxious to get there._

_I had barely gotten the door closed before Louis was attacking me. His lips on mine before disappearing to my neck; kissing, nipping, and suckling on my skin. A low groan fell from my lips as he sucked a love bite over my pulse point. Our jackets were tossed to the floor followed by our shirts. Louis guided me back until the backs of my knees hit the bed and I fell down with a soft thud. He climbed on top of me, hands working at undoing my jeans._

_In a matter of seconds we were bare._

_Louis pulled back and I looked at him, his eyes were so full of love and lust. Before I could utter a single word he began planting kisses down my neck, chest, and stomach. His hands caressed my sides and I closed my eyes in pleasure. The next thing I knew something warm and wet was wrapped around my hard length. My eyes snapped open and I looked down to see his head bobbing up and down, hands gripping my thighs. He went down further, my tip hitting the back of his throat, and I threw my head back; my hands flying down to grip his hair loosely as I moaned._

_"L-Lou... L-Lou I'm c-close." I warned and he pulled off with a wet pop._

_He crawled back up my body and connected our lips; hot and needy. I could taste myself on his tongue. I heard the familiar sound of the cap opening on the bottle of lube before I felt his hand dip between my spread legs._

_With three fingers inside me, I was writhing underneath him as he bit down on my shoulder. Louis removed his hand and then stopped._

_"Shit... we don't have any condoms left." He muttered looking in the small box that we had put that kinda stuff in._

_"It's okay... Just... please, please I need you." I pleaded, blushing at the thought of him going bare._

_He looked at me unsure so I lifted my hands to rub up and down the smooth expanse of his chest. Reaching out I snatched the bottle of lube and poured some into my hand before reaching between our bodies and covering his length with it. His eyes were wide to begin with but snapped shut as I wrapped my hand around him._

_Releasing him I took hold of his hips and urged him to lower himself and take over. His eyes opened, clouded with more love than lust now._

_"I-I don't want it rough right now." He whispered lowering his body down. "I want to make love to you."_

_I nodded my head, my words escaping me, and my heart beating fast. He positioned himself and then pushed in slowly. It felt different without the condom, there was more drag, but I decided it didn't feel so bad. When I got adjusted he began thrusting slowly. He only sped up minimally; dipping his head down to connect our lips, his hand cupping my jaw and his thumb stroking my cheek._

_We jetted to the sun and then slowly fell back down to earth as our climaxes washed over us. He pulled out slowly and fell onto the bed next to me. Once our breaths were returning to normal he got up and went into the bathroom. A moment later I heard water running, a sign that he was filling the tub. He reappeared and lifted me bridal style into his arms. He carried me with ease despite me being slightly taller._ _We sat together in the hot water, completely relaxed._

_"I can't believe we have to leave tomorrow." Louis whispered into my ear._

_"I don't want to go back." I replied with my head leaning back on his shoulder._

_"I wish we could stay like this forever." He said running his hands over my arms._

_"Me too." I stated softly closing my eyes and focusing on just feeling him._

_Eventually we drained the tub and dried off before crawling into bed. With tender kisses and whispered sweet nothings we both drifted to sleep._

_The morning came too soon and before we knew it were were on a plane flying back to Manchester. Niall, Zayn, and Perrie were there to greet us as we walked past security._

_"Marcel!" Niall exclaimed hurrying over to hug me. "How dare you two run off to Italy without telling us until you're gone!"_

_I chuckled and muttered an apologize before turning and hugging Zayn and Perrie. We rode back to Man U where Liam and Jessica were waiting in Louis and Zayn's dorm for us. We were greeted with more hugs and scoldings for leaving without informing anyone._

_When the day came to a close, Louis and I fell into bed together for the last time for who knows how long. Louis' classes started in the morning so he wouldn't be able to see me off to the airport, Zayn having offered to take me instead since his classes started later._

_In the morning I woke up with my face buried in Louis' chest. His alarm went off five minutes later and reality began to sink in slowly. We brushed our teeth, got dressed, and ate breakfast in silence; neither of us knowing what to say._

_"Marce, we need to head to the airport now." Zayn announced appearing in the kitchen. "I'll wait out in the car." he continued giving us a sympathetic look._

_"So, back home." Louis whispered standing in front of me._

_"No, back to the US... it's not my home." I replied stepping closer to him._

_Louis' eyes watered and he threw himself into my arms. "I'm going to miss you so much." he cried in a breathy tone._

_"I'm going to miss you too Boo." I said feeling hot tears of my own trail down my cheeks._

_"I love you." He whispered holding me tighter._

_"And I love you." I replied._

_We pulled away enough to connect our lips in a scorching kiss. With final 'I love you's, I took hold of my suitcase and with a final kiss to Louis' lips I left the dorm._

***End Flashback***

"Mr. Styles!" a voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yes sir?" I questioned looking up at my professor.

"I asked you a question and you have yet to give me an answer!" He snapped glaring at me.

"Sorry sir, I wasn't paying attention." I replied with red cheeks as my classmates looked at me.

"Mr. Styles, I think you will find that the classroom is no place for day dreaming. Pay attention or I will drop you!" Professor Binns exclaimed and then turned to ask another student what he had just asked me.

"Are you alright?" Ashley, the girl sitting next to me, questioned in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied then turned back towards the front of the class.

I still couldn't focus on the lecture. The past four months had been so crazy. My classes had picked up pace and I was constantly up to my ears in homework and having to study for test. A single bad grade and I would be kicked out. 

As time went on, the more it killed me, I felt like I was losing Louis. I never had time to pick up the phone and call or text him and I never had time to video chat with him. He told me he understood but I could feel us slowly falling apart. The lack of contact was destroying us. I always tried to text him and tell him I loved him and missed him but a lot of the time I would fall asleep before my head even touched my pillow at night. 

I knew deep down inside that if I didn't do something quick I was going to lose Louis. The thought brought tears to my eyes and made my heart hurt.

"Okay. You are not okay." Ashley said and lifted her hand.

"Yes Miss Tanner?" Professor Binns called on her.

"Sir, may I be excused with Marcel, he's not feeling well." She asked calmly.

Professor Binns sighed heavily and glanced at me, "Very well Miss Tanner." he replied; it wasn't a total surprised he agreed since she was one of the top students.

Ashley picked up her things as I did the same and then led me out of the classroom. We walked out into the courtyard and sat down under a large oak tree.

"Okay, what's wrong hun?" She questioned in a country twang.

"It's just... I'm drowning in school work and I haven't had a proper conversation with my boyfriend in four months now and I know it's going to end soon if I don't do something... we're falling apart." I explained looking at her with blurry eyes.

"Where's your boyfriend at?" Ashley asked rubbing my back. "I mean I know you're from the UK, but is he there?"

"Yeah, he's in Manchester. We went to the same high school. He used to be my bully and then at a party he was drunk and kissed me and here we are a year and four months later..." I gave a watery laugh and she smiled softly. "I had intended on going to school there and then mum forced me to move here with them." 

Ashley frowned at that. "Your mom made you come here with them even though you wanted to stay there?"

"Yeah, my sister and I tried to convince her to let us stay but she wouldn't hear it. Now I'm here and he's there and it's becoming too hard..." I sobbed out looking at the ground.

"Then why the hell are you here and not on a plane flying HOME?" She questioned giving me a delirious look.

"Because I'm in school and I can't just leave." I replied sadly.

"Yes you can! You need to apply for a credit transfer to that college he's at and you need to fly home and sweep him off his fucking feet! You're twenty Marcel! This is your life! Are you honestly okay with staying here and watching your relationship fall apart!?" Ashley exclaimed shaking my shoulders. "You need to go home! It's where you belong... it's where your heart is!" 

She was right. I was twenty and this was my life. I wasn't going to sit back and lose the most important person in it. I stood up and pulled her up with me, giving her a crushing hug.

"Thank you!" I smiled pulling away.

"No problem, now come on... let's get your credits set to transfer." She exclaimed tugging me in the direction of the offices.

The dean looked up when I knocked lightly on his door.

"Come in." He gestured putting down his pen. "What can I do for you Mr. Styles?"

I walked in and sat down with Ashley beside me, she was there solely for support. 

"I wanted to ask if there was any way I could have my credits transferred to another school Sir?" I questioned nervously.

"You can if you wish to leave the school. May I ask why you'd be considering leaving the school? You're doing so well..." Mr. Brooks asked leaning back in his chair.

"But I'm really not Sir, I'm from the UK and my boyfriend is there. Our relationship is falling apart because I'm here... and I'm only here because my mum wouldn't hear of me staying there." I explained and he nodded his head.

"I understand Mr. Styles. Where would you like your credits to be transferred to?" He questioned with his hand hovering over the telephone.

"Manchester University." I answered.

After two hours in his office I was set to head back to the UK, my credits would be transferred to Man U, who had accept my sudden request to go to school there. I hugged Ashley once more and then hurried out to my car. When we had arrived mum had taken me out car shopping and I ended up with a brand new silver and black Audi R8 to drive. 

I pulled up to our mansion of a home and parked in the driveway. Gemma was the only one home, mum having had to work today. 

"Marcel? What are you doing home?" Gemma questioned as I entered the house.

"I got all my credits transferred to Man U today, I'm going home. I can't not be with Louis anymore the distance is tearing us apart." I replied.

"So you're just going to pack up and leave?" She questioned curiously.

"Yeah, I'm leaving tonight." I nodded walking up the grand staircase.

Gemma followed after me, "What are you going to tell mum?"

"That I'm twenty and I'm miserable here. That I'm going home to where my heart is... where Louis is." I answered as I began to pack a suitcase with enough clothes for a week. 

"I'm proud of you." Gemma said suddenly and I stopped. "I'm proud of you for taking a stand and following your heart. I know I never tried to get along with Louis because I knew he was the one that said those things to you, but I can see how much he means to you."

"Thanks Gem." I smiled moving to hug her.

I packed my suitcase then headed downstairs to the theatre room to watch a movie with Gemma until mum got home. Light flooded into the theatre room a couple hours later and we looked back to see Robin in the doorway.

"Oh, Marcel? What are you doing here?" He questioned walking in, surprised to see me since I was supposed to be in a lecture.

"I'll explain when mum gets home, yeah?" I requested and he nodded his head.

Instead of leaving he joined us in watching Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides. Not long after the movie was done mum got home.

"Uh mum?" I questioned walking into the living room where she sat with Robin.

"Hello dear, Robin said you wanted to talk to us?" She responded looking over at me and smiling.

"Um, yeah, yeah I do." I stated slowly sitting down next to Gemma. "So... um... I don't really know how to say this but today I applied for a transfer of my credits. Our dean called Man U and they accepted me immediately so Mr. Brooks set up my credits to be transferred there. I'm moving back to the UK."

"What?" Mum questioned; disbelief in her voice.

"I'm moving back to the UK." I repeated.

"Oh I heard you but you most certainly are not! Everyone is over here Marcel and you're going to a top university, your education is very important." Mum said firmly.

"I'm moving home. I'm miserable here, I hate it here! My friends are in the UK and my boyfriend is there too! Our relationship is falling apart because of the distance between us. I've been so swamped with homework and studying that I haven't been able to have a proper conversation with him in four months!" I exclaimed feeling Gemma's hand on my back urging me not to freak out.

"Marcel, we've talked about this. I love Louis, truly, but your education is very important." Mum tried but I shook my head.

"No, not if I lose Louis in the process. Mum... I'm twenty... you have to let me go at some point." I said quietly.

"When's your flight?" Robin asked looking at me.

"It leaves tonight at 9." I answered.

He nodded and squeezed my mums hand, "I'll drive you there, are you all packed?"

"You can't be serious about letting him go?" Mum looked at Robin completely bewildered.

"Anne... he's twenty... he's old enough and mature enough to be on his own. He won't be on his own though, he'll have his friends and Louis. This is important to him, he's trying to save his relationship and he wants to be happy. He's not happy here." Robin reasoned with her and her shoulders slummed.

"I know but he's my baby." Mum replied quietly.

"Mum..." I sighed kneeling down in front of her. "I'll always be your little boy, but I don't belong here."

"I know..." Mum whispered stroking my cheek. "Okay, but you have to call at least once a week."

"Deal. Thank you." I replied hugging her tight.

"We better head to the airport." Robin said getting up and pulling out the keys to his car. 

"I'll call you when I land." I promised hugging and kissing my mum and Gemma goodbye.

Robin drove me to the airport and we chatted about random things. 

"You know Marcel, even though you were already 16 when your mum and I met I always loved you and your sister like you were my own. I'm sorry I uprooted your life and came here." Robin said as we pulled into the airport.

"Gem and I love you too and it's okay. I understand that the traveling back and forth was getting tiresome." I replied getting out of the car with him. 

I pulled my suitcase out of the backseat and set it on the ground beside me so I could hug him.

"Thanks for driving me and understanding." I said taking hold of the suitcase handle.

"Of course. Now go get your boy and your degree!" He smiled and waved as I walked away.

The first class section of the plane was almost empty, most of the people were in the economy section. I leaned my seat back once the seat belt light went out and put my ear buds in. I hit shuffle and music flowed into my ears...

**So your friend's been telling me**

**You've been sleeping with my sweater**

**And that you can't stop missing me...**

**Bet my friend's been telling you**

**That I'm not doing much better**

**Cause I'm missing half of me...**

 

**And being here without you is like I'm waking up to...**

 

**Only half a blue sky, kinda there but not quite**

**I'm walking around with just one shoe**

**I'm half a heart without you..**

**Half a man at best**

**With half an arrow in my chest**

**I miss everything we do**

**I'm half a heart without you..**

I couldn't help but think about how true the lyrics were. I really did feel like only half a person without Louis. I really never did think the skies were as blue when I wasn't with him. Maybe it was kinda crazy how much he meant to me... but hey I'm in love with him.

The plane reached thirty thousand feet and I closed my eyes falling back into the music. We soared on into the night. I was going home... finally.


	26. Chapter 26

*Marcel's POV*

The plane touched down at 10AM in Manchester. I grabbed my suitcase and headed past security feeling awake since I had slept the entire flight. Pulling out my phone I found Liam in my contacts and pressed call.

"Hello?" He answered on the second ring.

"Hey Li, can you meet me somewhere? I'm in Manchester and I need your help, do not tell Louis I'm here." I said climbing into a taxi.

"Sure, where at?" Liam asked.

"Um how about your flat? Nobody's going to be there right?" I questioned motioning for the taxi driver to hang on one second.

"Sure, yeah nobody will be there." He responded.

"Thanks, bye." I hung up and recited Liam's flat address to the driver.

I arrived at Liam's flat building 20 minutes later and paid the taxi driver. I knocked on the door and a couple seconds later it was jerked open revealing Liam.

"Marce!" He exclaimed pulling me in and hugging me tight.

"Liam, it's great to see you too mate but I can't breathe." I whimpered at his grip.

"Oh sorry! So why are you here? Why couldn't I tell Louis? What's going on?" He fired questions at me as we sat down on his sofa.

"I'm moving here, I transferred all my credits to Man U. You couldn't tell Louis because I don't want him to know yet,  I want to surprise him at school. And I need your help finding a flat." I answered all of his questions in one breath.

"Seriously? You're going to Man U now!? That's fantastic! Louis is going to be ecstatic! And hey why not move into this building? I know there are some empty flats on the higher floors." Liam suggested.

"Not a bad idea, I like your flat." I said looking around the modern flat. "And I hope he's happy to see me... I feel like we've been drifting apart..." 

"Yeah... Louis' changed a little... like he's a bit cold and depressed." Liam sighed. "He misses you like crazy and I just don't think he knows exactly how to deal with it."

I nodded my head feeling horrible for being so busy and not having any time to call, text, or video chat him. 

Liam and I went down to the office and I rented a flat on the 6th floor of the building. It was a large two bedroom flat with grey walls, white furniture, and dark hard wood floors. The kitchen was sleek with dark cabinets, white quartz counters, a blue glass tile back splash, and stainless steel appliances. The bedrooms were large. The master bedroom was perfect with grey walls, dark floors, and a king size bed dressed in white with a blue blanket folded at the end. 

The next day I went to the school to collect my books while Liam had Louis at some cafe ten minutes away. I was starting school tomorrow so I headed back to my flat and called my mum. With arrangements made to get the rest of my clothes and other things over I flopped down on my sofa and text Liam letting him know I was back home. We were being extra careful so Louis didn't catch sight of me anywhere.

The next morning I woke up to the alarm on my phone blaring on my bedside table. I switched it off then forced myself out of bed and into the bathroom. The hot water in the shower woke me up and soon I found myself pulling on my outfit for the day. Since it was still nippy outside I settled on a pair of black skinny jeans, my blue grey sweater, and black boots. I styled my hair into semi quiff so my curls didn't flop on my forehead. Picking up my things I headed down to Liam's flat. I was riding with him since I didn't have a car yet.

"Hey Marce, you ready to go?" Liam asked walking out of his flat.

"Yup." I smiled and we walked to the lift.

"So everyone is meeting us outside the entry. Louis will be with Josh and Adam, two of his friends, in the main hall. We'll hide you behind us and surprise him." Liam explained the plan that he and Jessica had come up with.

We arrived at the University five minutes later and I began to feel a bit nervous. Would he be happy to see me? Were we already too broken to be fixed? What if he breaks up with me?

"Calm down, trust me, he's probably going to cry." Liam chuckled as we got out of the car.

Niall, Zayn, Jessica, Perrie, and Danielle were waiting exactly where Liam had said they would be. They arranged themselves around me so no one in front of us could see me and then we walked into the main hall. 

"He's about twenty feet away from us." Niall whispered as we came to a stop.

"Hey Tommo!" Perrie called out and most of the people in the hall looked at her including Louis. "We got a surprise for you!"

I was being blocked from Louis' view by Danielle and Jessica.

Liam and Niall moved away from me...

Then Perrie and Zayn moved away.

Then Danielle and Jessica parted; revealing me.

I looked up through my lashes and smiled shyly at Louis who was wide eyed with a slacked jaw. 

His frozen state didn't last long. In a flash he had dropped his books and began running in my direction. In a moments time he flung himself into my arms; his arms wrapping around my neck and his knees coming up to press against my hips. My own arms flew around him, one on his back and the other closer to his bum so he didn't fall. His lips found mine as soon as he collided with me. The kiss was hot and full of need and want and love and desperation.

His legs slipped down so his feet were on the ground and he eventually pulled back for air. Our lips swollen and red.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned pressing his forehead against mine, one arm around my neck while the other was holding the back of my head. 

"I go to school here." I replied and he jerked his head away so he could look at my face.

"W-What?" Louis stuttered with tears shimmering in his blue eyes.

"Yeah, I go to school here. I transferred all my credits from Harvard to here." I answered with my arms still around his waist; I tugged him as close as possible. "I couldn't be away from you anymore... I was going crazy without you."

Louis was crying by then; Liam had been right about that. I glanced at Liam and saw him smirking knowingly. I turned my attention back to Louis, bringing my hand up to wipe away the tears.

"Shit... I love you! I love you so much and I missed you so much!" Louis exclaimed hugging me tight; burying his face into my neck.

"I missed you too and I love you more than anything." I replied pressing my nose into his hair and breathing in the sweet smell of his shampoo. 

The people around us were 'aw'ing and cooing at us as we held each other in the middle of the hall. 

"Alright people, get to your classes!" A man with dark spiked hair ordered walking out of an office.

He walked right up to us and stuck out his hand to me.

"I assume you're Marcel Styles? I'm the president of the school, Professor Lachey." He introduced himself.

"Yes sir I am." I replied shaking his hand keeping my other arm around Louis.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Styles. It's quite an honor having someone transfer here from a school such as Harvard... though... I understand why you would now." Professor Lachey smiled looking over at Louis then back to me.

I looked down and saw that Louis was blushing pale pink, my own cheeks tinting a little. 

"Well Mr. Tomlinson off to class you go, perhaps now you'll arrive on time..." Professor Lachey said giving Louis a stern look.

Louis nodded and turned to hug me tight. With whispered 'I love you's in each others ear he walked over to where Josh and Adam were still standing and took his books from them then headed off to class with them trailing behind him. 

"Alright Mr. Styles, let's get you to your first class. I've printed out a map of the school grounds and have pin pointed each of your classes. All you have to do is follow the directions to get to each one. When it comes time for lunch and dinner, if you have classes during those times, you're free to leave the campus as long as you return on time." Professor Lachey explained handing me the map of the school.

"Thank you sir." I replied looking at the map then at my watch. "Well, I better get to my first class."

He nodded and walked back into his office as I walked down the hall. The day went by quickly. I only caught sight of Louis a couple times during the day, each time he was with the same people, laughing and smiling. Only one thing really concerned me. When somebody got a little too close to him he would sneer and they would cower away. That and the girl that kept trying to attach herself to his arm. Okay... so maybe two things bothered me. 

"Hey Li?" I questioned as we leaned against his car after our final classes were finished.

"Yeah?" He replied looking over at me.

"Who's the girl that keeps trying to attach herself to Louis?" I asked looking back at him.

"I don't really know her. She started going here like 2 months ago. Nearly broke Zayn and Perrie up... that's the main thing I know about her." He answered letting his eyes wonder the parking lot. "Oh, there's Lou."

I looked in the direction he was looking and sure enough there was Louis walking through the parking lot with Josh and Adam. He looked over and smiled at me before heading in our direction. 

"Hey Marce, have a good first day?" He questioned, hugging me.

"It was alright, works a lot easier here then it was at Harvard." I replied hooking my chin over his shoulder.

Louis chuckled and pulled away to lean against the car next to me; his hand snaking behind me and slipping under the hem of my shirt. 

"So where are you staying Marcel? I'm Josh by the way." One of the lads Louis had walked up with introduced himself.

"I have my own place, same building as Liam actually just a different floor." I replied nodding my head towards Liam.

"Well, welcome to Man U mate, we've gotta dash but we'll see you around." The other lad, Adam, said clapping his hand on my shoulder.

They waved goodbye and walked off towards their own vehicles. 

"Did you wanna come over tonight?" I questioned turning my attention to Louis.

"I would but I already have plans, the lads and I are going to a new club that just opened up." Louis replied giving me an apologetic look. "Hey! You should come with us!"

"I don't know Lou..." I hesitated.

Back in the US a few people that I considered kinda friends took me to a couple of the clubs and it was just not my thing.

"C'mon Marce, please?" He begged. "Liam and the others will be there too."

"Okay, I suppose so." I gave in giving him a small smile.

"So I'll pick you up at 9 or did you want to ride with Liam?" Louis questioned moving to stand in front of me.

"Oh no, I'll ride with you." I smiled leaning forward rather bravely and nipping his ear. "Haven't seen you in so long."

I heard a small whine leave his throat and Liam chuckled staring at us. Louis cut his eyes at Liam and he tried to stop laughing but couldn't.

"We should get going Marcel." Liam said, his voice full of humor.

"Cockblock." I heard Louis mutter under his breath.

I blushed at the term. 

"I'll see you tonight love. Love you." Louis stated pulling my face close to his.

"Love you too." I replied just before our lips connected.

He waved goodbye to Liam and then hurried off to where his Range Rover was parked while I climbed into Liam's car. We drove back to our flat building and went our separate ways. Inside my flat I rummaged through the clothes I had brought with me. I pulled out my dark blue skinny jeans that were like a second skin and I pulled out a plane black shirt. I set them on the bed along with a brown belt and clean boxers before heading into the bathroom to shower. 

I pulled on my outfit and styled my hair, brushing the front into something that was the makings of a quiff and leaving the rest to do as it pleased. With my shoes on my feet and thirty minutes to spare I headed into the kitchen and heated up two slices of pizza. I had just popped the last bite in my mouth when there was a knock at my door. Getting up, I walked over and opened it to reveal Louis standing there in tight black skinny jeans and a grey v-neck shirt that showed off his chest tattoo. 

"Holy shit..." Louis muttered; his eyes raking down my body. 

I felt heat rise to my cheeks as he stared at me. Suddenly he moved forward, pushing me back, and closing the door before his hands grabbed my sides and jerked me up against him. A squeak barely got past my lips before he was kissing me roughly. My hands came up to his shoulders while his slid down from my rib cage to my bum. I felt his hands slip into my pockets and he squeezed my bum. I moaned before forcing myself to break the kiss.

"We better get going." I said not removing my hands from his shoulders. "Your friends will wonder where you are."

Louis groaned but nodded his head. 

"Wait until we get back here." He whispered hotly into my ear then slid his hand into mine pulling me out of the flat. 

The club was packed; sweaty bodies everywhere. There was a line outside of people waiting to get in but since one of Louis' friends worked at the club we were let in ahead of everybody. We sat down at a booth with Liam, Jessica, Niall, Zayn, Perrie, Josh, and Adam who already had ordered drinks for us. I picked up the electric blue drink and took a swallow of it; the alcohol burning my throat. I still wasn't a big drinker but after being in some of the American clubs I found I could down a few drinks without getting more than buzzed. 

"Thought you didn't drink babe?" Louis questioned leaning close so I could hear him.

"I don't normally, but a few of the people I met in the US took me to a few of the clubs there and I found out I can drink a few without getting drunk." I replied as he sipped on a beer.

"What were the American clubs like?" Josh asked over the loud music.

"Bout like this, maybe louder." I answered looking around.

Eventually Louis took hold of my wrist and pulled me out onto the dance floor as the other migrated there. With his back pressed to my chest we swayed with the music thumping through the speakers; quickly getting sweaty from all the body heat surrounding us. After a few songs I whispered into his ear that I was going to the loo and would be back soon. He nodded and moved over to where Liam, Josh, and Adam were dancing. 

I finished my business in the bathroom and then headed back to our reserved table. Picking up my fourth drink I took a swallow and let my eyes wonder around the club. Soon my eyes fell on Louis' familiar head of caramel hair. I smiled taking him in and then frowned when a hand tried to snake around his waist. Looking up at saw the girl from earlier trying to press herself against Louis. My blood ran cold, for a second I thought he was going to dance with her but then her arm was pushed away. She didn't seem to take the hint though and instead latched onto him, trying to shove her boobs in his face. Now instead of cold my blood went hot. 

Tramp.

I threw back the rest of my drink, feeling the buzz of the alcohol in my veins. It made me feel brave. I moved through the crowd to where Louis and the girl were standing. She tried again to press against him. I could see the others watching, their eyes darting between me and them. 

I got up behind Louis and pressed against his back, my hand coming to rest at the junction of his neck and my lips falling onto his neck.

"Back love." I whispered nipping at his earlobe as I let my other hand snake around him and rest on his abdomen; yes alcohol definitely made me braver.

The girl looked at us in disgust.

"What the fuck Louis!?" She screeched.

I stopped kissing Louis' neck and cut my eyes up at her, "He's mine bitch, fuck off." I growled and heard Louis gasp, clearly not expecting me to say that... heck I wasn't expecting me to say that!

I figured I was on a roll now, might as well not stop so I turned Louis around in my arms. He was aroused, I could see it in his eyes. I pressed my hips to his and his lips parted slightly. Leaning in I made sure she could see my tongue slipping into Louis' mouth. He kissed back immediately, winding his arms around my neck.

I heard her screech and scream a few profanities. I could also hear the wolf whistles of everyone around us. When we pulled away Louis' eyes were completely blown with lust. 

"Shit, let's get outta here." He groaned taking my hand and pulling me through the crowd.

I unlocked the door to my flat and Louis all but shoved me inside and slammed the door. We made it as far as the couch before dropping down, mouths moving almost painfully. 

"That was so hot... s-shit.... never thought I'd hear you say that." He muttered into the skin of my neck as he sucked a love bite there.

I dropped my hands from his sides, sliding them down to his bum and squeezing as he rutted against me. In the blink of an eye it seemed we were bare; our clothes tossed carelessly away. 

"Wanna ride you." Louis said kissing down my chest.

***Mature***

I nearly lost my load right then and there. He never said things like that. I nodded my head gripping his hips. He shuffled back until he was straddling my knees. Before I knew what was happening he was hunched over with his lips wrapped around me, his head bobbing quickly. 

"Ugh!" I groaned as he went lower. 

I looked down and it was obscene. His lips were swollen and red and my length was slick and shining  with his saliva. My mouth fell open as my hands made their way into his hair; I felt myself quicken.

"L-Lou.... I'm c-close." I stuttered out and he pulled off.

He moved back up to straddle my hips then reached behind himself to align me with his entrances.

"Lou..." I started afraid he was going to try and go without prep.

"Shh baby, I prepped myself earlier." He said as he began to sink down onto me.

He threw his head back and moaned loudly as he went down. When his bum was resting on my hips he stopped and leaned forward to kiss me hotly. He pulled back and planted his hands on my shoulders. Then he began to move fast and hard; pulling up and dropping back down quickly. I moaned gripping his hips. My eyes wondered down his sweat covered body until they rested on where we were connected. 

"I-I'm c-close." Louis panted; his thighs shaking, his movements slowly a little from working so hard.

I gripped his hips tight and without pulling out I got him on his back. Grabbing under his knees I pressed his legs to his chest and pounded into him. His head was resting just off the edge of the sofa; little 'ah,ah,ah's escaping his parted lips. 

"Mar-Marcel!" He cried out, streaking his chest with white.

I felt him tighten around me and I saw his jaw had gone slack. I thrust into him three more times before my hips jerked and I poured myself into him. I let go off his legs and they fell against the sofa. 

***End Mature***

I walked to the bathroom and got a flannel, bringing it back wet so wipe him off. His chest was rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath; my own doing the same. 

"W-Where... where did that come from?" He questioned looking up at me with soft eyes.

"Alcohol makes me brave." I chuckled wiping his chest and stomach off.

He laughed and sat up with a groan. "Ohh that smarts a bit."

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" I asked, worried we had been to rough.

"No, just... four months is a long time. My fingers have nothing on you." He smirked playfully.

"I know what you mean." I replied and his jaw dropped a bit.

He stood up and wrapped his arms around my neck. "I'm so glad we're together again, I hated being away from you." he whispered nuzzling his nose against mine.

"Me too." I said kissing his nose.

He shifted a little and made a funny noise.

"What's wrong?" I asked pulling back to look at him.

"Um..." He started, his cheeks going crimson. "Um... you came inside... it's running down my legs." 

Then it was my turn to turn crimson.

"Shower?" I suggested biting my lip.

He nodded eagerly and we hurried down the hall to the master bathroom. Once we were cleaned up and he was dressed in a pair of my sweats and a t-shirt we cuddled up on the love-seat in the living room, me vowing to clean the sofa in the morning. He sat between my legs, his back resting against my chest. My hands were crossed over his tummy and his hand rested on top of mine. 

"So, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" He asked turning his face into my neck.

"I wanted to surprise you." I replied rubbing my thumb against the soft skin of his stomach where his shirt was rucked up.

"What made you suddenly come back? I mean you'd been going to the school for a year, we were almost done with the first year of university." Louis said lacing our fingers together.

"I was sitting in my law class, day dreaming... I was thinking about you and the trip we took for our anniversary. I got called out by my professor. Then I started thinking about how if I didn't do something soon I was going to lose you because I could feel us drifting and then the girl next to me, Ashley, she got him to let us out of class. We sat under this oak tree in the courtyard and I told her about us and how I felt. She looked at me like I was crazy and she says 'then what the hell are you are you here and not on a plane flying home?' She told me I needed to go home and sweep you off your feet... she said I needed to go where my heart was." I explained resting my cheek on his head. "So I booked a plane that night and came home... I needed to be where you were."

Louis shifted in my arms so he could look at me; his eyes were glossy. "You know I never was a crier until I met you." he laughed light and watery.

I smiled and bumped my nose against his. "Sorry." 

"God, I love you so much." Louis whispered attaching his lips to my own.

My eyes fluttered shut and I kissed him back tenderly, whispering back against his lips, "I love you too, always."


	27. Chapter 27

*Louis' POV*

A week had gone by since Marcel had come home and announced he had transferred to Man U. I still couldn't believe it. I was able to hold him again every day and kiss him and hug him and it was... perfect. 

Since he had been gone I had felt myself falling back into my old ways. I wasn't bullying anybody, but I would sneer if someone got too close to me (somebody that wasn't my friend). It was an old habit making a reappearance but with Marcel back I felt the habit slipping away. I knew I had been colder but I had been missing my boyfriend and like him, I had been feeling us drifting apart. It had scared me, I hadn't known what to do so I distracted myself. Well, I tried to... often I would just find myself thinking about how Marcel wouldn't want me to act like this. 

It didn't matter now though. I had him back and my happy personality was returning. More often than not now I found myself lying with him after classes were done for the day in his flat. We would finish any homework we had before Marcel would go to the kitchen and fix dinner. It was becoming our routine. 

I walked into Marcel's kitchen, breathing in the smell of of whatever he was cooking, which turned out to be tacos. 

"Smells good love." I commented hugging him from behind. 

"Thanks Boo." He replied stirring the meat in the pan.

I kissed his clothed shoulder then moved towards the oven when I noticed it was on. Biting my lip, I glanced over at him to make sure he wasn't paying attention to me then reached up to turn on the light in the oven. Cupcakes! My mouth watered.

"Don't be nosy Boo." Marcel's voice spoke into my ear and I jumped away from the oven with a very manly squeak of surprise... he moved so quietly.

I gave him a sheepish grin as he smile and tapped my nose. 

"Why don't you grab a bottle of wine from the chiller?" He suggested moving back to the stove.

Walking over to his wine chiller I selected a bottle of white wine and pulled down two wine glasses. I popped the cork out and poured the wine into the glasses. Lifting one of the glasses to my lips I hummed in delight as the somewhat sweet fruity flavor washed over my taste buds. 

Turning back to Marcel I saw him building the tacos and placing them on two plates. He switched off the burner and picked up the plates before motioning for me to take the glasses and go to the living room. We settled on the sofa, which yes had been cleaned since our... events a week ago. 

We chatted about the end of school, which was coming in three weeks, as we ate. I told him I had finally decided that I either wanted to play football professionally or become a drama teacher and he of course was studying to become a lawyer. 

With our empty plates set on the coffee table, the cupcakes out of the oven and cooling, Marcel curled against me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as he nudged my head to rest on his. We occasionally took sips of the wine until it was gone and then set the glasses on the table as well. 

Marcel pressed his nose against my ear and his warm breath cascaded down my neck, sending shivers down my spine. 

"You know the song we started writing before I left?" He questioned softly, nipping at my ear.

"Mhmm." I hummed closing my eyes, relishing his touch.

"I finished it about a month ago." Marcel said pressing his lips to my jaw.

I opened my eyes and turned to face him, "Really? Can I hear it?"

Marcel nodded and removed himself from my side. He disappeared down the hall and then returned with the guitar he had his mum ship over and a piece of paper. He handed me the guitar.

"You play since you wrote the music." He said holding out the sheet of paper from when we had first started writing the song. 

We walked over to where his piano was in the corner. I sat down on a stool and began strumming the chords of the song while he played the piano. Thank heavens these flats were soundproof. Marcel smiled at me then dropped his gaze to the paper on the stand.

**I figured it out**

**I figured it out from black and white**

**Seconds and hours**

**Maybe they had to take some time**

 

**I know how it goes**

**I know how it goes from wrong and right**

**Silence and sound**

**Did they ever hold each other tight like us**

**Did they ever fight like us**

 

**You and I**

**We don't wanna be like them**

**We can make it til the end**

**No nothing can come between**

**You and I**

**Not even the God's above**

**Can separate the two of us**

**No, nothing can come between**

**You and I**

**Oh, you and I**

I was playing mindlessly, not even looking at my fingers but somehow getting it right even after all this time. My eyes were on Marcel as he sang the lyrics. Each word wrapped around my heart. He smiled over at me and my heart pounded in my chest. He nodded towards the paper and I turned to see I was supposed to sing the next part. Swallowing thick I glanced from the strings of the guitar to the paper.

**I figured it out**

**Saw the mistakes of up and down**

**Meet in the middle**

**There's always room for common ground**

 

**I see what it's like**

**I see what it's like for day and night**

**Never together**

**Cause they see things in a different light, like us**

**But they never tried, like us**

We sang through the rest of the song together, looking at each other more often than not. We played the final notes and then the room went quiet. I could feel my eyes burning. The things this boy made me feel.

"Don't cry Boo..." Marcel said opening his arms to me as I moved to sit beside him on the bench. "Was it that bad?" he asked sounding worried.

"No, oh gosh no... it was perfect! So freaking perfect!" I replied wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his waist to hug him. 

I felt him sigh happily and hug me back. It was honestly probably one of the best feelings in the world, feeling his arms around me. After being separated for a year... I just never wanted to let go. I released him from the hug and let my hand on his waist fall onto the bench before leaning in an capturing his lips. It was probably a Kodak moment; the way we were sitting with the piano and the view out the window of the city lights.

*~*

The last weeks of school flew by and before we knew it we were out for the summer. Marcel and I were currently sat in his living room with Zayn, Perrie, Jessica, Niall, Liam, and Danielle discussing what we wanted to do for summer holiday.

"We should go somewhere!" I exclaimed interrupting all of them as they tossed ideas around. "We should go to the states, like to Florida."

"Sounds fun Lou, but I'm not exactly able to afford a trip like that." Liam said tucking Danielle into his side.

"Don't worry about money Li." Marcel responded from his position next to me.

"Marcel..." Liam started but Marcel shook his head.

"Don't Liam. I've got plenty of money and I want you to come." He said smiling at his best mate and Liam gave in with a sigh and a nod.

"So it's settled! We're going to Florida and we're going Disney World!" I cheered and the others joined in.

They all left after we decided to book a flight for the next day. I stayed at Marcel's and helped him pick out a hotel, quickly agreeing on Disney's Contemporary Resort. We booked four rooms, two with lake views and two with theme park views. Once the flight was booked I headed back to mine and Zayn's flat to pack, excited to spend however long on holiday with Marcel and the others, but mainly Marcel.

*~*

We arrived in Florida at 1PM the next day and I was already cursing the time difference of five hours. A white Cadillac stretch limo was waiting outside the airport to take us to the hotel. I wasn't used to taking a limo from the airport to a hotel. Normally whenever we would travel we would always just rent a really nice SUV. It was quite humorous driving through Orlando in a big fancy limo. We all chuckled at how people stopped and stared, hoping to catch a glimse at whoever might be riding inside. 

We pulled up outside the hotel and the driver hurried to open the door for us to get out. Marcel and I walked up to one of the receptionists and were greeted with a white smile.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, do you have a reservation?" The girl who's name tag read Amy asked.

"Hi, yeah, it's under Louis Tomlinson." I replied smiling back and slipping my arm around Marcel's waist as I saw her eye him up.

No. Just. No.

"You're on the 13th floor, room 394. Enjoy your stay." She said handing me the key-card and smiling too sweetly at Marcel.

Shoving the key-card into my pocket I took my suitcase handle in one hand and slipped my other hand into Marcels, lacing our fingers together, and making him smile at me. As we walked away I turned my head just enough to see the receptionist pouting and I couldn't help but smirk. 

We waited by the elevator doors for the others then piled in to ride up to the 13th floor. Our rooms were all near each other. Marcel and I entered our bay view room and dropped our suitcases before flopping on the bed. 

"Do you think they're gonna want to go to one of the parks today?" I asked curling against him on the king size bed. 

"Probably, Niall looked fired up and ready to go." Marcel replied flipping onto his stomach and looking out the window. 

It was a great view, I could only imagine how it looked when the sun was setting. As if on cue my phone and Marcel's phone went off. I picked mine up and saw a text from Zayn.

_**From: Zayn - Pez wants to know what park we're going to** _ **today?**

"That was Zayn, apparently Perrie is ready to hit the parks too." I chuckled as Marcel looked up from his phone.

"Mine was Niall and Liam asking. So, which park do you want to go to?" He asked leaning over to press his nose to my neck.

I was still getting used to him doing that. Ever since our first time back in Paris, he's really broken out of his awkward/shy faze. He used to let me initiate everything and now he initiates stuff. Another thing was that he stopped geling back his hair; it was constantly free of product and in it's naturally curly form. I loved his curls. 

"Magic Kingdom?" I suggested willing myself not to think about the warm pair of lips on my neck.

Marcel hummed in agreement and text Niall and Liam back while I text Zayn. Twenty minutes later we were changed and down in the hotel lobby with the others. We got onto the monorail and took it to the park. The park wasn't as packed as I expected it to be considering it was summer vacation here as well. 

With Marcel's hand securely in mine we walked through the park with the others; taking pictures and having a grand time. We rode everything that caught our eye. From Pirates of the Caribbean to Space Mountain to Splash Mountain to the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (mainly because of Liam). We walked through the Haunted Mansion and rode through It's A Small World. We ate at the Cinderella's Royal Table restaurant after much pleading from Perrie, Jessica, and Danielle. The food turned out to be amazing at least. 

When the fireworks were set to start we made our way over to the Tomorrowland Terrace fireworks desert party. With a plate of chocolate covered strawberries we sat down with everyone else and watched the fireworks. I snaked my arm around Marcel's waist and rested my chin on his shoulder; both of us beaming as we watched the 12 minute display. 

I looked over him and saw that his eyes were shining bright; the colorful bursts reflecting in his green orbs. It was kinda funny... in high school I was catagorized as a jock and with my tattoos people expected me to be rough and I was at first. I didn't just harass Marcel... there were plenty of others that had felt the sting of my words and sometimes even my fist. Now though... I'm a totally different person and honestly... I like who I am now. It was all thanks to Marcel too. He opened my eyes to a lot of things. Love being one of those things. I had been pretty content to just fuck around and never have to put any effort into a relationship because there was never a relationship. No strings attached had always been my thing even if the girls I had been with didn't know that. Marcel was the first person that made me want to try and God knows I've never made a better decision than to let myself fall head first into it. 

Smiling softly at Marcel, I turned back to face the fireworks with my head resting against his. As the show reached it's climax, my grip tightened on him and my lips pulled into a full smile as I felt his hand reach for mine. Warmth and electricity shot through my veins... yeah... definitely the best decision I ever made. I'd never regret falling in love with him.

*~*

Three more days passed and we visited Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom; one on each day. We got back to the hotel from the last Disney park and the sun was just starting to set. The others went into one of the rooms that had a view of the park so they could watch the fireworks once they started while Marcel and I retreated to our room to watch the sunset over the bay. 

We stood side by side as the sun began to sink. I stood with my arms wrapped around Marcel's slender waist while his own were wrapped around my shoulders. His cheek rested against my head as we held each other. 

When the colors disappeared from the sky we cut through our room and joined the others across the hall just before the fireworks began. We had agreed earlier that in the morning we would head up to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, stay overnight in another hotel, and then hit the Wet-N-Wild water park the day after. 

We watched the nighttime fireworks display for the last time then everyone retired to their rooms for the night. By the time I got out of the bathroom from brushing my teeth and taking a shower, Marcel was curled up underneath the covers on the king size bed. His curls splayed against the pillow. Smiling, I slipped in behind him, pleasantly surprised that he was shirtless, and curled up against his back. I slipped my arm around his waist, spooning him. 

"Goodnight Marce, love you." I whispered kissing the top of his spine and then resting my forehead against his back.

"Night Boo, love you too." came his sleepy reply.

*~*

In the morning there was a pounding at mine and Marcel's hotel door, followed by Niall yelling at us and probably disturbing the other guests nearby.

"GET YA LAZY ASSES UP! THE CAR WILL BE HERE SOON!" Niall yelled through the door making Marcel and I groan.

"Niall, what are you yelling about?" Liam's voice came through the door.

"They're not up and the car will be here soon and I'm ready to ride more roller coasters!" Niall replied and I could hear a girl laughing.

"C'mon babe, we better get up and get ready." I said nudging Marcel only to receive a grumble in reply.

Chuckling I crawled out of bed and threw on a pair of light blue shorts and a teal top before disappearing into the bathroom. When I reemerged Marcel was just getting out of bed and pulling on a pair of similarly colored shorts with a white shirt. While he did his thing in the bathroom I made sure we had everything we came with packed into our suitcases. When he came out, I had our stuff sitting by the door and two teas in my hand courtesy of Liam. Handing one over to Marcel, he smiled at me gratefully before taking hold of his suitcase.

The others were down in the lobby waiting when we stepped out of the elevator. Once again, the white Cadillac stretch limo was waiting for us. The ride to the Point Orlando Resort only took about 15 minutes. When we arrived we checked into our deluxe two bedroom suite on the top floor; we had agree to share the suite since we were only going to be there for one night.

With our stuff dropped at the hotel the limo took us over to the theme park. We entered the Universal Studios park and I immediately snatched Marcel's hand dragging him in the direction of the Harry Potter stuff. The others followed close behind as I weaved through the people milling about. Again the lines weren't as long as I expected them to be since it was summer time. After only five minutes of waiting we were loading onto the Dragon Challenge roller coaster. As the coaster took off I could hear Perrie, Jessica, and Danielle screaming while the rest of us laughed and yelled with them.

As the day went on we stopped and did any attraction that caught our eye. We rode everything from Revenge of the Mummy to the Despicable Me Minon Mayhem. We sat through Shrek 4-D and made our way through the Hogwarts castle in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. We ate lunch at some point between riding rides and before we knew it we were walking over to Islands of Adventure. 

We cascaded down Ripley's Ripsaw Rapids and laughed through Popeye and Bluto's bilge-rat barges. We all got a bit wet during Jurassic Park river adventure and then dried off slowly as we went through Poseidon's Fury. For dinner we headed back over to the Universal park and ate in the Three Broomsticks. After we ate we walked through Hogemeade. My hand was laced with Marcel's as we darted into Zonko's, Marcel immediately picking up a purple pygmy puff to send to Gemma. With the others we headed into Honeydukes; purchasing acid pops, cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, fizzing whizzbees, bertie botts every flavour beans, and a bunch more. 

With bags in our hands we exited the park and climbed into the limo waiting to take us back to the hotel. Up in the suite, Marcel and I snagged the bedroom with the king size bed, Zayn, Perrie, Niall, and Jessica took to the bedroom with two beds, and Liam and Danielle took the king size sleeper sofa in the living area. We yelled goodnight to each other across the suite and all fell into bed; exhausted. 

I lay on my back, wide awake despite how tired I was, with Marcel's head resting on my bare chest. Little puffs of air tumbled from his lips as he slept peacefully. My fingers carded through his soft chocolate curls and I smiled sleepily down at him. My mind was racing as I thought about the past few days and the past month since he showed up at school. I still couldn't believe he gave up going to a school like Harvard for me. Was I actually worth that? Apparently to Marcel I was. I've never felt so wanted... so needed by someone. I brought my other hand up and placed it on his bare shoulder and let my eyes slip shut. I needed him just as much as he needed me. I wanted him just as much as he wanted me. I fell asleep; holding my world in my arms.

In the morning we were awakened by an overly hyper blonde Irish lad jumping on our bed and yelling at us...

"GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!" Niall yelled bouncing on the bed excitedly.

"Niall!" I groaned as Marcel whined and pressed into my chest.

"NO! NO MORE SLEEP! UP UP UP!" He exclaimed. "IT'S WATER PARK TIME!!"

"Five more minutes." Marcel mumbled.

"NO!" Niall yelled dropping onto his knees on the bed still. "Are you guys ticklish? Wait, that's a stupid question... I know you're ticklish Louis!" He said grasping my side through the covers.

"NIALL!" I yelped trying to get away from him as Marcel moved away and curled into himself. "Alright alright I'm up!"

"What about him?" Niall asked pointing to Marcel.

"I know how to get him up." I smirked and slipped under the covers.

"The hell are you doing Louis?" Niall asked moving off the bed.

I bit down on Marcel's boxer covered bum and he gave a startled screaming and rocketed out of bed. I heard more feet rush into the room.

"What's going on?" Liam asked.

"What happened?" Perrie questioned as they looked at us.

"Did you... You bit my bum!" Marcel exclaimed as I peaked out from under the covers.

"Oops?" I smiled innocently and Niall was on the floor, literally, clutching his stomach and laughing.

"I'm friends with the weirdest people." Perrie groaned as Zayn slipped up behind her chuckling.

"Well, now that you're up, get ready so we can have breakfast and leave! I'm ready for water rides!" Jessica said appearing in the doorway with Danielle.

They all left the room and we proceeded to get ready to leave. Marcel came out of the bathroom wearing his navy blue swim trunks that hung dangerously low on his hips. His tattoos on full display. I groaned and he blushed when he realized I was staring at him.

"I have the fittest boyfriend ever." I mumbled stepping over to him and kissing him.

"T-Thanks." Marcel stuttered; cheeks scarlet.

I smiled and tied the string on my own black swim trunks and slipped a shirt on as Marcel did the same. Taking his hand we walked out into the living room where the others were waiting. Together we headed downstairs, once again climbing into the limo, and rode to the park. We were some of the first people in line and after renting lockers for the day we hurried towards the rides. 

The day was going great. We had been on the brain wash, disco h20, the surge, the black hole, and the blast. Then it took a turn. 

Marcel, Perrie, Zayn, and myself were waiting for the others to come down one of the rides when a voice that was too familiar called my name.

"LOUIS!" Eleanor's voice rang out over the screams and laughs of people on the rides.

I felt Marcel stiffen beside me and Perrie frown. I ignored her until a pair of arms wrapped around me.

"Louis! Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you babe!" Eleanor said pressing against me.

I wiggled out of her arms and turned to give her a glare.

"What are you doing here?" I asked stepping closer to Marcel.

"On holiday of course! My cousin and I decided to come here and catch some of the Florida sun." She replied with a sickly sweet smile. 

A girl walked up behind Eleanor and my eyes widened. What the hell...

"You know my cousin, right Lou?" Eleanor smirked. "This is Cassidy everyone."

Of course. The girl that had been trying to get with me at University and had tried dancing with me at the club would be related to her. I knew immediately by the look on Eleanor's and Cassidy's faces what they was about to do.

"You know Lou, we never got to finish what we started a few months ago." Cassidy said reaching out to trail her hand down my arm.

I jerked away.

"Yeah Lou, how could you leave her hanging like that?" Eleanor asked with a smirk. "You can't just kiss somebody like that and then ignore them."

"W-What?" I heard Marcel whimper from his spot next to Perrie. 

"Baby, it's not true." I said desperately, seeing tears forming in his pretty green eyes.

"Oh but it is. He never told you?" Cassidy asked turning to face Marcel. "He snogged me hard a couple months ago."

"Stop!" I demanded reaching for Marcel but he pulled away; my heart sank.

"And you thought you meant something to him and that he wouldn't cheat on you?" Eleanor laughed.

"Quit lying!" I snapped glaring at her. "I didn't cheat on him. I promise Marce, I didn't cheat on you." I said turning to face him.

Marcel's chest was rising and falling rapidly as he looked at me through blurry eyes. 

"Then how did someone get a picture of us kissing?" Cassidy asked pulling her phone out of her bag and showing me and him a picture.

On the screen was a picture of me with Cassidy pressed against a wall snogging. The thing was... it wasn't real. 

"That's fake!" I exclaimed but it was no use.

Marcel let out a choked sob and tore away from Perrie just as the others joined us.

"We're done." He sobbed looking at me. "I thought you loved me but you cheated on me! I can't believe I came back for you!"

Liam, Danielle, Niall, and Jessica stood there gaping and confused while my heart shattered into a million pieces. Marcel ran away from us with Zayn running after him. 

"I swear I'm going to fucking rip both your heads off!" Jessica seethed starting towards Cassidy and Eleanor.

"Just stating the truth! Didn't your little nerd friend deserve to know that his boyfriend was a cheater?" Cassidy smirked stepping towards Jessica and that apparently was not a good move.

In a flash Cassidy was screaming and clutching her now broken nose; blood running down her hand. 

"What's going on here!?" A deep male voice asked and we all turned to see a police officer approaching us.

"These two tramps were harassing us." Jessica stated; her fist clenched by her side.

For such a sweet girl even I was a bit afraid of her right now.

"And why is she bleeding?" The office asked.

"She came at me, I was only defending myself." Jessica replied looking the officer directly in the eye, her expression never faltering.

"Anybody around witness this?" The officer questioned the people standing around watching.

A few of them nodded and agreed with Jessica.

"Well then I'm going to have to ask you to leave the park, we don't tolerate violence or any sort of harassment here." The officer said turning to Eleanor and Cassidy.

"But we didn't do anything!" Eleanor protested angrily. "We came here all the way from England!"

"I don't care. Out or I'll escort you out." The officer stated firmly.

They huffed in annoyance but smirked at me as they turned on their heels and made their way towards the exit.

"Louis! You didn't tell him!?" Perrie questioned smacking my arm.

"I meant to but I just forgot. I've been a bit caught up in actually having him with me and not thousands of miles away!" I said with a groan as I sat down on a bench nearby. "Now I've lost him."

"No, you need to get your ass up and go find him. Louis, you need to tell him what happened two months ago!" Perrie exclaimed gripping my shoulders and shaking me.

"That's what this is about? That photo that Cassidy made and passed around the school?" Niall questioned massaging Jessica's hand.

I nodded weakly and slumped my shoulders. I really didn't want to cry in front of all these strangers, but I just lost the love of my life to something that was fake. As if on cue my shoulders started shaking and hot tears rolled down my cheeks. 

"Louis, you need to go find him. He'll leave if you don't. I'll back you up on this, I know what happened, we all do. Just go find him. We'll give you some time." Zayn said forcing me to stand up. "Go."

I nodded weakly and hurried away from them. I caught a taxi and took it over to the hotel. Running inside I got into the elevator and took it to our floor. Inserting the key in the lock I opened the door and entered the room. I could hear sharp cries coming from the main bedroom and my heart broke even more. Hurrying into the room I found Marcel curled up on the bed; his suitcase already packed.

"Marce..." I breathed out and he shot up.

"Go away." He cried looking at me with sad eyes.

"No, no please." I said reaching out for him and he flinched away.

"J-Just leave me a-alone." Marcel replied in a choked tone.

"Please Marce... baby please listen to me. I promise I didn't." I pleaded with him and he shook his head moving to sit on the edge of the bed furthest from me.

"Don't lie, I saw the picture." He said looking down at his hands.

"No, you saw a fake picture." I replied moving around to where he was; he didn't look at me.

I knelt down in front of him and took his trembling hands in my own. He tried to pull them away but I tightened my grip.

"Please, look at me, please." I begged and he glanced up finally. "I swear I did not cheat on you. That picture was photoshopped. Ask Zayn and Niall or Perrie, I promise that picture was fake."

He looked away and pulled away. He stood up and walked over towards the window. 

"If your story doesn't match theirs... I'm leaving." He finally stated looking out on the world below us.

"Okay. Okay I understand, but I promise, I didn't cheat." I replied folding my arms across my stomach.

Marcel nodded and walked out of the room without another word. I sat down on the edge of the bed. The world felt like it was crashing down around me. 

A while later I heard the others enter the room. I could hear them talking in the living area. Eventually the door to mine and Marcel's room opened and Marcel slipped in. I sat up on the bed and moved to sit on the edge next to him once he sat down.

"So... she was trying to convince everyone you were dating so she created a picture of you two kissing and 'leaked' it to the school." Marcel said quietly looking over at me.

"Yeah. It happened two months ago... I was going to tell you but then you showed up here and I just... I just was so happy you were here and I forgot about it. I was more focused on being with you and having you around constantly." I replied offering him a timid smile.

Marcel nodded and moved to hug me. His arms were tight around my waist; fitting perfectly and mine were tight around his neck. We pulled away and I let my fingers dance over his cheek. I brushed a curl off his forehead.

"Are we okay?" I asked softly; looking into his eyes.

"Yeah, we're okay." He replied leaning into my touch and I smiled.

"I promise I'd never cheat on you sweetheart, I love you so much, I can't even imagine doing that." I promised bumping my nose against his.

"I love you too." Marcel sighed and tilted his head as an invitation.

Smiling I pressed my lips to his sweetly. It was sweet and loving until he nipped my bottom lip. He laid back with me hovering over him; our lips working feverishly against each other. We didn't even hear the door open.

"They definitely made up!" Niall yelled to the others cackling. "And we need a video camera!"

I snatched a pillow from the bed and heaved it at him; successfully hitting him in the head. "Piss off you perv!" I yelled trying to sound bad but honestly I was just too happy and started laughing.

Niall laughed even louder and shut the door as he walked back to the living room. I lowered my forehead to Marcel's tone chest and laughed as he chuckled.

A few minutes later we walked out into the living area where the others were watching TV.

"So, where to next?" I asked sitting down on the floor.

"Miami!" Niall exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Niall." I groaned throwing my head back onto Marcel's shoulder. "We're not even legal here why do you want to go to Miami?"

"Uh just because?" Niall replied questioningly.

"I'm down for Miami, we could just hit the beach and chill." Perrie said while Jessica and Danielle nodded their heads in agreement.

"Then I guess that settles it, we're going to Miami." Liam said as I grabbed Marcel's laptop and Niall cheered.

Pulling the device onto my lap, Marcel and I searched through hotels on the beach until we found one we wanted to stay in. 

"We're staying in separate rooms this time." I said causing Niall to snicker.

Since the day was only half over we decided to go ahead and make the drive down to Miami. With our stuff packed, we left our room and headed down to the lobby. The limo driver closed the door once we were all inside and we began to the three and a half hour drive down to south Florida.

When we reached Miami Beach we were hungry and somewhat cranky from being in the car for so long. The driver pulled up to The Setai hotel and we all sighed in relief as he opened the door for us to exit the limo. 

Marcel and I were the first ones at the reception desk. The middle aged man behind the counter took my name and handed me the key to our room. We hurried over to the elevator and rode up to the 34th floor. Unlocking the door we set down our things and went over to the window to check out our view. Nothing but white sand and crystal blue water. A little slice of heaven.

We looked around the one bedroom suite. There was a fully equipped kitchen with black granite counters, a living area with black and white furnishing, the bedroom was painted in neutral tones with dark wood floors, and the bathroom had a rainfall shower. It was quite stunning overall.

"Lou, come on, let's go eat." Marcel said taking hold of my hand and giving me a little tug.

I followed him out of the room and we met the others at The Setai Grill. When the bills came Marcel snatched Liam's away before he could even get a could look at the numbers on it. He handed over his bank card before Liam even had a chance to protest and just smiled happily while I took care of our bill.

*~*

We decided to stay in Miami for a week and by the time the week was up all of us were supporting decent tans from lounging on the beach every day. I really realized this on the last night when I laid Marcel down in the plush king bed and pulled his clothes from his body. We hadn't had sex in nearly two weeks. Each time we had returned from one of the theme parks or the beach we were just too tired to do anything more than lazily make-out before falling to sleep. Today, however, we had lounged on the beach only a couple hours before heading into the spa for massages. Therefore when we went to our room for the night, we were very much awake.

With Marcel laid out underneath me, bare, I could see his tan line running across from hip to hip where his swim trunks came up. He was more like a tan Greek Adonis now - truly stunning in every way - not that he wasn't before. 

We curled into each other despite our overheated skin thirty minutes later completely sated. 

"Goodnight Boo. I love you." Marcel whispered, nuzzling his nose under my chin.

"Goodnight baby, I love you too." I replied softly, kissing the top of his head and closing my eyes; my arms wrapped around him securely. 

As I drifted off to sleep I could't help but think that had you said this is where I would be two years ago I would have probably punched you or laughed in your face. But now... here with Marcel in my arms... this was where I belonged... this was where my heart was... and there was absolutely no place in the world I would rather be. 


	28. Chapter 28

*Marcel's POV*

Time seemed to fly by once we returned to Manchester after our holiday. It seemed as though before I could blink summer had come and gone, school started back up, and now tomorrow was Louis and I's two year anniversary. He had already told me not to plan anything and no matter how many times I asked what he was planning he would refuse to tell me. In fact he had been acting strange for about a month now. 

He seemed nervous when we were together, which was a lot, and he seemed like he was hiding something. His eyes gave away nothing though. My mind unfortunately drifted back to our holiday in Florida when Cassidy had made it seem like Louis had cheated on me. Now, with his strange behavior, I couldn't help but think maybe he could be...

I hated the thought and I'd started bawling a few times just thinking of us at nearly two years and it ending with him cheating on me for real. I tried not to think about it. I told myself repeatedly that he was just planning something special. 

"Hello love." Louis smiled as he walked into my flat the morning of our anniversary.

"Hey Lou." I greeted placing the final pancake on a plate and handing it to him.

We sat down at the breakfast bar and ate in silence for a bit before Louis spoke again.

"So, after we finish up eating you go back a bag for the week and I'll clean up, yeah?" Louis spoke looking over at me.

"Um, yeah okay... where are we going?" I questioned curiously.

"Can't tell you that." He smiled pushing the last piece of pancake into his mouth.

I sighed but didn't press. I finished up breakfast then headed to my room while Louis cleaned up the kitchen. Once I had my bag packed for a week I headed back out to the living room and found him sitting on the sofa waiting for me.

"Ready to go babe?" Louis questioned standing up.

"As ready as I'll ever be for an on the whim trip." I chuckled and followed him out of the flat. 

We drove straight to the airport. Louis checked into our flight and then led me through the airport to our gate. I looked up at the sign above the tunnel and felt a little lump form in my throat.

"Greece... we're going to Greece." I whispered melting into Louis' arms when he held them out.

"Yes babe, we're going to Greece. Lindos to be exact." He responded kissing my temple sweetly.

"I've never been to Greece." I said pulling back and wiping away the few happy tears that were escaping my eyes.

"I know, I asked your mum before I booked the flight. I've never been either and I wanted to take you somewhere special." Louis smiled as we stepped into the line to board the plane.

"Everywhere is special when I'm with you." I blushed as I spoke.

Louis cooed and pressed his nose against my temple fondly, "I feel the same way." 

We took our seats in first class and once the flight attendant went through her well rehearsed speech we were speeding down the runway and taking off into the sky. Seven and a half hours later we touched down at the Rhodes International Airport in Greece. From the plane we managed to get a taxi and rode forty-five minutes to the address Louis had given him.

When pulled up to the Lindos Blu Luxury Hotel the sun was dipping below the horizon. We checked in; tired from our long flight and trudged to our room. Louis opened the door to the two story villa. There was a sitting area, a gym, a bedroom, two bathrooms, a terrace, and a private heated swimming pool. A large king bed sat in the bedroom dressed in white and grey with a large square jetted tub sitting next to the window so you could look out at the cliffs and water.

We ordered dinner from room service and sat in the living room to eat; music from Louis' iPod filling the otherwise quiet villa. I noticed that Louis seemed a bit lost in his thoughts as we ate. He kept glancing at me then looking away when he would catch me staring back at him. Once again I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Once we finished eating we took quick showers and fell into bed, barely able to keep our eyes open.

"Happy anniversary sweetheart." Louis said softly; propping himself up on his elbow and leaning to hover over me.

"Happy anniversary Boo." I replied reaching up to give his hair a little tug.

He smiled and lowered his lips down onto mine tenderly. We kept it sweet and tender, both of us too tired for anything more. Louis pulled away and settled on his side, his head resting against my bare shoulder.

"I fully intended on loving on you tonight." He chuckled sleepily. "I didn't expect to be so tired."

I laughed lightly, "It's okay, we've got... how long are we going to be here?"

"Mmm a week and a half." Louis replied; his words muffled against my shoulder.

"Then you have plenty of time to make it up to me." I said resting my hand on top of the one he hand resting on my stomach.

"Mhmm." Louis hummed and I could tell he was asleep a couple seconds later.

I pushed away his somewhat distant attitude of the past few weeks and let my eyes fall shut, joining my blue eyed love in sleep.

In the morning I was awoken with soft kisses being pressed to my face. Teeth occasionally nipped my skin as the kisses trailed down to my neck. I moaned quietly as the pair of lips attached just under my ear and began sucking. Soon they disappeared and attached to the other side, this time at the junction of my shoulder and neck. I could feel a warm body pressing against mine and hands smaller than my own coasting down my side leaving chill bumps in their wake. I fluttered my eyes open and was greeted by Louis' sleep messy brown hair.

"Louis..." I groaned as he bit down a little harder on my neck.

"Mm?" He hummed causing me to shiver at the sensation.

I whimpered as his hot, wet tongue soothed over my now bruised skin. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling gently. Louis pulled away and smiled at me with glittering eyes.

"Morning love, sleep well?" He questioned pecking my lips.

"Hmm, always do next to you." I replied with a soft blush tinting my cheeks.

Louis smiled broadly at me and rolled off of me.

"Wanna get some breakfast?" He questioned stretching once he stood up.

I watched as his back muscles tensed then relaxed; I bit back a moan. 

"Sure, did you want to go down to the Smeraldo restaurant?" I asked stretching in bed.

Louis nodded his head and we both pulled on black skinny jeans and grabbed our shirts; his blue and mine white. With our shoes on our feet we went to the restaurant and ordered omelets with tea. 

After we ate we walked outside the hotel and went to the village to walk around. Louis had his fingers laced with mine as we walked through the village, occasionally stopping to look at something. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant called Casear's and then continued on walking around the village. As the sun began to sink in the sky we headed back to the hotel and up to our room.

"Change into something nice love." Louis requested pulling a blue button up out of his bag and slipping it on.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as he buttoned the buttons, covering his tan, tone chest and his tattoos. I pulled a white button up out of my bag and put it on before looking over at Louis who was fidgeting and looking at me. 

"Lou?" I questioned stepping closer to him; worried.

"Hmm?" He hummed blinking at me.

"Everything okay?" I asked trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling settling in my stomach.

He was acting even weirder today than he had been for the past month. The only thing going through my mind that this trip was a buffer of some sort. Like he was doing one last nice thing before breaking up with me...

"I um... I was thinking maybe you could do your hair like you used to in high school...?" Louis trailed off holding out a bottle of hair gel.

"Sure..." I replied taking the bottle with a curious expression on my face but Louis didn't say anything more, he just gave me a shaky smile and went to sit down in the living room.

I walked into the bathroom and set to work gelling my hair back, something I hadn't done in more than a year. It wasn't that I had changed myself for Louis if that's what you're thinking. It was just that after not putting gel in it a few times I simply didn't mind skipping that process of taming my curls. I had also found that wearing t-shirts and jeans weren't so bad. I still liked dressing in slacks and button ups for school sometimes but not all the time anymore.

Looking in the mirror I smiled at the glimmer of my old self minus the glasses that I never wore anymore. I wondered why Louis wanted me to do my hair like this but couldn't come up with any reason. I walked down to the living room where Louis was messing with his phone. He smiled as I walked in and stood up.

"Ready to go babe?" He asked holding out his hand.

I nodded my head and slipped my hand into his. We walked through the hotel to the Five Senses restaurant and were seated at a table with an unobstructed view of the sea and sunset. The sky was colored beautifully; blue, pink, and purple, as the waiter poured glasses of wine. 

"I'm sorry we didn't get to do this yesterday when it was actually our anniversary." Louis apologized once the waiter had disappeared.

"It's okay, it was a long day. We can just pretend today is it." I replied with a smile picking up the wine glass and holding it up. "Happy anniversary Boo."

Louis smiled and picked up his glasses, clinging it gently against mine, "Happy anniversary sweetheart."

We ordered our food and thirty minutes later it was set before us looking absolutely delicious. The sun had long since disappeared from the sky, leaving us to dine under the stars with other couples. As we finished dessert I noticed Louis was getting fidgety again. He looked nervous and his eyes gave away that he was hiding something but it was on the tip of his tongue, threatening to escape.

Hand in hand we walked back to our room. Louis picked up his iPod and plugged it into his Beats by Dr. Dre Pill speaker. I watched curiously as he tabbed on a play-list and set the iPod down as the music began playing. Dance With Me Tonight by Olly Murs filled the room.

"Be right back." Louis smiled and hurried up the stairs.

I walked over to the window and looked out at the sea over the edge of the heated pool; the stars were beautiful tonight. Upon hearing foot steps I turned around and saw Louis reentering the living room with a bottle of chilled wine and two glasses. He smiled and set the bottle down on the table next to the sofa once he had poured some into the glasses. 

With the music turned up he reached out for me. I wasn't much of a dancer, never had been, never would be but I smiled and danced with him anyways. The song ended at Hung Up by Hot Chelle Rae began to play. A few more faster songs played before the play-list toned down a little and 1,2,3,4 by The Plain White T's started playing.

**Give me more lovin than I've ever had**

**Make it all better when I'm feelin sad**

**Tell me I'm special even when I know I'm not**

**Make it feel good when it hurts so bad**

**Barely get mad**

**I'm so glad I found you**

**I love being around you**

**You make it easy**

 

**It's as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4**

**There's only one thing, two do, three words, four you**

**I love you...**

We both sang through the chorus together after Louis sang the first verse as we danced together; wine glasses being held carefully. My smile grew as the song continued and the feeling that he was going to break up with me slowly vanished. I mean that couldn't possibly be it since he was singing this song to me as we danced together... right?

More songs played, both fast and slow. As the current song ended Louis took our wine glasses and set them on the table with the bottle. The beat of the next song began to flow through the small speaker, a steady thump, thump, thump of a drum filling the room. I immediately recognized the song as Marry You by Bruno Mars. I smiled as we began to dance without the worry of spilling wine. I couldn't believe Louis had this song on his iPod; I knew he had gotten it not long after I had mentioned liking it. We had danced to it a few times not long after we started dating and even a few times since I returned to the UK. We spun each other around, twisted, and turned as the song played. 

**Well I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go oh oh oh**

**No one will know oh oh oh**

**Oh, come on, boy**

**Who cares if we're trashed got a pocket full of cash we can blow oh oh oh**

**Shots of patron and it's on boy**

I sang along with the words of the song. I dipped my head a little as Louis spun me under his arm, laughing. We both sang through the pre-chorus and chorus, doing silly moves; proving we had no dancing skills whatsoever.

**I'll go get a ring let the choir bells sing like oooh**

**So what you wanna do?**

**Let's just run, boy**

**If we wake up and you wanna break up, that's cool**

**No I won't blame you**

**It was fun, boy**

The song ran through and then it was playing the last bit. The music had slowed as had the lyrics, so our movements slowed. Louis motioned for me to stop singing and I obliged without question. Though when he didn't stop singing I wondered why I had to...

**It's a beautiful night.**

**We're looking for something dumb to do.**

**Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you...**

**Is it the look in your eyes?**

**Or is it this dancing juice?**

Louis stopped dancing and slipped one hand around my waist, pulling me to him so our bodies were flush against each other. He looked up at me, his eyes nervous but excited. I felt his other hand move and then he spun me out...

**Who cares baby..**

**I think I wanna marry you...**

As I turned back he was no longer eye level with me. Instead, Louis was on one knee and in his hand he held a small black velvet box; the lid opened and a silver ring with black going around its center and three diamond chips sat pillowed inside. I slapped my hand over my mouth. The tears were immediate as it fully hit me what was happening. Louis was proposing.

My bottom lip trembled as I looked at the ring and Louis looked up at me biting his own lip, clearly nervous. Almost without even knowing it, I began nodding my head up and down while tears streamed down my cheeks. Louis' shoulders sagged a little in relief as he stood up, pulling the ring from the box. My left hand was shaking as I held it out. Through blurry eyes I watched as he slipped the ring onto my finger, a perfect fit. 

As soon as it was on I flung my arms around him and buried my face into his neck. His arms snaked around me and held me tight. 

"I love you." I whispered, my voice wrecked with emotion.

"I love you too baby. Always." Louis replied; his voice trembling.

I pulled back just enough to find his lips with my own. A loving kiss that quickly became heated and needy. He worked quickly, unbuttoning my shirt as I did the same, shoving it off my shoulders and onto the floor. We stumbled up the stairs to the bedroom, falling onto the bed with absolutely no grace. We began making quick work of the rest of our clothes; our lips working feverishly against each others.

"T-Thought you were going to break up with me." I panted against his warm lips. "You h-had been acting so w-weird."

"Nev-er." Louis breathed out as his fingers popped the button on my jeans. "I was just nervous, afraid you'd th-ink we were moving too f-fast and would s-ay no."

"C-Could never say n-no to you." I moaned then hissed as he yanked my jeans and boxers off in one go. "Louis..."

***Mature***

He rid himself of the rest of his clothes then dropped back down on top of me, bare skin colliding. I reached up and combed my fingers through his feathery brown hair, tugging him impossibly close as we kissed again. I could feel him rutting against me as his tongue invaded my mouth and I moaned taking it all in. 

His forearms rested on my chest while his hands cupped my face, my own remaining in his hair; tugging lightly. He tried to pull away but I followed him up, untangling one of my hands and wrapping my arm around his neck to pull him back down. He gave into me and settled against me for a moment longer. When he pulled away the second time I let him go and watched as he hurried over to his bag and pulled out a tube of lube. He threw it on the bed and I stared at it. Warming lube. What? That was new...

"Heard it makes it even better." Louis said seeing my questioning look.

I nodded and reached out for him. Back in our embrace our lips became swollen and red, his hands roamed over me touching every place he could reach. He trailed kisses down my neck and shoulders before trailing onto my chest and suddenly latching onto one of my nipples. 

I gasped and moaned in pleasure as he laved his tongue over it while his other hand rubbed the other with his thumb. I raked my fingers up his back and then tangled them in his hair once more, throwing my head back in pleasure. 

Eventually he began moving downwards. He planted hot, wet kisses down my torso, across my hips, and down onto the tops of my thighs leaving me panting and squirming. I felt his hands grasp my legs and push them apart. Starting at my knee, I watched as he planted a series of kisses along the inside of my leg all the way down to wear my leg met my hip before doing the same to the other side. My eyes snapped shut as I felt him mouth at the base of my hard length, a loud moan escaping my lips as I felt his lips against me. I felt his hot tongue go down my length and up to my belly button where he swirled it around a couple times before continuing upwards, all the way to my neck where he proceeded to suck a love bite into my skin. 

I heard the familiar snap of the top on the lube and then I felt his hand dip between us. He set to work on another love bite as he entered one finger... then a second... then a third. 

"L-Louis... pl-please!" I begged; writhing beneath him.

He sat back on his hunches and grabbed the lube. I watched as he coated himself and tossed the bottle away, making it fall off the bed. 

"All fours baby." Louis commanded gently tapping my legs.

I scrambled onto my knees and hands. We hadn't ever tried different positions beyond on our backs or riding. I felt him spread me open and begin to enter me slowly. I groaned at the slight burn and gripped the sheets. Louis bent over and began kissing down my spine and across my back, whispering sweet nothings as he did. I moaned as he bottomed out, pressing against my prostate.

"Good?" Louis questioned, his voice muffled against my shoulder where his lips rested.

"Y-Yeah. Y-You can move." I managed to get out, pressing back against him.

And he did. He withdrew almost all the way before pushing back in. The feeling was exquisite and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to drop my head down or throw it back in pleasure. His hips began to move faster causing me to rock forward with each thrust into me. I tossed my head back as he gripped my hips and began suckling on my neck. 

"L-Louis..." I panted bringing my head forward and dropping onto my forearms no longer able to hold myself up on my hands. 

The angle changed a little and now each of his thrusts nailed my prostate directly. I felt myself quicken and I clenched around him; spurring him on.

"Marcel, ohh fuck baby..." Louis groaned kissing my spine. "Love you so much darling."

"Love you too Lou." I replied through the moans escaping my swollen lips.

I felt his hand snake underneath me and take hold of my extremely hard length. He began stroking me in time with his thrusts.

"L-Lou..." I pleaded feeling my climax fast approach.

Suddenly he pulled out and I let out an embarrassing whine at the loss. He took hold of my hips and urged me to flip onto my back. I had barely gotten settled before he was pushing my legs to my chest and slamming back in. I threw my head back and let out a moan louder than any other I ever had; it was pornographic.

"Wanna see you when you cum Marcel. You're always so beautiful..." Louis praised as he drove into me hard and fast.

"Louis... I'm... Ughh..." I sputtered not able to make coherent sentences.

"Cum for me darling." Louis urged, leaning down and pressing his lips to my ears, breathing hotly on it.

My body jerked as I released between us, my hands clenching the bed sheets. Louis continued thrusting into me and I clenched around him as  tight as I could to bring him to his end. Using up any energy I had left I forced myself up and got him on his back without him slipping out. With my hands planted on his chest I began to lift myself up and drop back down; riding him with everything I had. His fingers gripped my hips, probably leaving bruises as he bucked up into me. I was oversensitive and it was beginning to hurt but I couldn't stop. I was determined to bring my fiance to his climax.

"Marcel!" Louis cried jerking up a final time before releasing into me.

***End Mature***

I came to a stop and collapsed on top of him ignoring the mess between us; our breathing heavy. I shifted a bit so he slipped out of me as his arms wrapped around me.  We stayed that way for a while before Louis spoke..

"Let's take a shower, yeah?" He inquired rubbing his hands down my arms.

I nodded against his chest and stood up. He followed behind me but grabbed my waist as he stood, turning me and pulling me back to him. 

"I love you." Louis smiled pecking my lips sweetly and I blushed a bit.

"I love you too." I replied and then we walked to the shower and cleaned off.

Instead of dressing once we were done though, Louis filled the large jetted tub in the room that overlooked the ocean and turned on the jets. We sank into the warm water, resting our heads against the head rests attached to the tub. Louis pulled a bottle of champagne from the bucket next to the tub and poured some into two glasses; handing me one.

"To us." He smiled holding out his glass.

"To us." I replied, returning the smile and touching my glass to his.

We stayed in the tub for probably thirty minutes just relaxing, talking, and laughing with each other before getting out. I looked outside and saw the stars were still shining bright in the night sky.

"Let's go for a swim." I said picking up Louis' swim shorts and tossing them to him.

Louis pulled on his swim shorts and we dashed downstairs to the heated pool. We swam for a whiled before getting out and changing into warm clothes. I stepped out onto the terrace and stared out at the starlit night sky towards the sea. Louis was soon by my side, pressing his lips to my shoulder with a sigh.

"Thank you for planning all of this, it's incredible." I said looking over at him.

"Anything for you love." Louis replied nudging his nose against mine. 

"It's kinda funny, two and a half years ago we hated each other." I stated giving him a fond smile.

Louis chuckled and nodded his head, "I know. Who would've thought that we'd end up together. I'm glad though. I'm so glad I got over popularity and fell for you, you're the sweetest person ever. You're so amazing Marcel and you made me a better person and I can't imagine loving anyone else."

Happy tears glimmered in my eyes as I reached a hand up to his cheek and caressed it softly; I leaned forward and kissed him. 

"Me too. I was scared of loving you... I saw scared of you in general. I think maybe that night you showed up soaking wet after you found out your parents were getting a divorce showed me that you were just tough on the outside and maybe I shouldn't be so scared of loving you." I admitted smiling tenderly at him.

"I felt like such a baby that night." Louis laughed resting his head on my shoulder.

"You were being human." I stated gently.

"I'm so sorry for anything I ever said to you back in high school that hurt you and for everything I did to make your life hell." Louis mumbled and I grasped his jaw to make him look at me.

"I've long since forgiven you for all that. As soon as we kissed and started dating, I forgave you. None of that matters anymore Boo, it's all in the past. Back then I might have thought differently but now I see how kind hearted, sweet, caring, and loving you are. The only thing I care about now is us and the fact that I'm completely in love with you and the fact that we're engaged and I am so happy." I said looking into his ocean blue eyes; they sparkled with happiness and glowed with warmth and love.

Louis' eyes danced back and forth as he studied me before he moved in closer and wrapped his arms around my neck pressing his nose into my hair.

"I love you too baby." He whispered in my ear pressing even closer to me as I tightened my arms around him.

Once we were back inside, Louis picked up his phone and snapped a selfie of us together, my left hand held up between us with excited looks on our faces. He logged into his facebook and posted the picture, tagging me in it. 

**Louis Tomlinson: He said yes! :) _with Marcel Styles_**


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!! Thanks to everyone that read this. I had a blast writing it when I wrote it. Like I said in the beginning, you can find this on Wattpad as well under my account Britt1D4Life. I hope everyone enjoyed! :)

*7 Months Later*

Louis stood in the hotel room they had rented. He wasn't sure weather he wanted to jump for joy or pass out from how nervous he was. Today, in just one hour, he was going to stand in front of all his family and friends and marry the love of his life, Marcel Styles.

Marcel Styles. The boy who in high school was the nerd of all nerds and had been the target of his bullying but in a matter of months had become the most important thing in his life. They'd been together for 2 years and 7 months now, 7 of those months having been spent as an engaged couple. That would end tonight though because after tonight they would be married and starting their forever together. 

Louis thought it was rather amazing really when he looked back at the pictures they had taken together from when they first got together and now. Marcel back then had his hair slicked back, thick framed glasses, sweater vests, slacks, and button-ups. Now, Marcel had his hair free of product (except a little hairspray every now and then), he wore contacts, skinny jeans, t-shirts, and boots. If you asked Louis which he preferred, he'd tell you he didn't like one more than the other, no matter how Marcel dressed he still loved him just as much.

"Lou, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Jay asked placing her hands on her sons' shoulders.

"Nervous, scared, happy, excited..." Louis replied as he fiddled with his black tie. "I just want everything to be perfect for him."

"And it will be! I've already been over to the church and it looks amazing and the ballroom here for the reception looks incredible. It's truly stunning dear, David did an amazing job." Jay said soothing Louis.

David Tutera. Yes the famous wedding planner. Louis and Marcel were both well off and didn't know where to start with planning their wedding so they hired the professional planner. They had sat down with David, letting the older man get to know them and find out what they wanted at their wedding. Beyond that their mum's had helped David, occasionally suggesting something or making a decision so Louis and Marcel didn't know everything about their wedding.

"It's perfect Louis, Marcel will love it and I know you will as well." Jay smiled at him in the mirror. 

She turned him to face her and pinned the cream and purple flowers to his suit jacket lapel. She fixed his tie and made sure his hair was perfect before she set her hands back on his shoulders. Smiling lovingly she brought a hand up to Louis' face and brushed her fingers over his cheek.

"I can't believe you're getting married today, my baby, all grown up." Jay stated quietly with watering eyes.

"Mummy..." Louis whined childishly. "You're going to make me cry and I don't want to get married with red eyes!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just can't believe it! I love you BooBear and I'm so happy for you!" She said pulling Louis into a tight hug.

Louis wrapped his arms around his mum and rested his chin on her shoulder. He really couldn't believe it either. He was 20 years old and about to get married, but he wouldn't change a thing... he was ready for this. 

*~*

Marcel stood in his own hotel room with his mum and Gemma worrying over him. Anne was fixing his hair while Gemma pinned the flowers to his jacket lapel.

"I can't believe you're getting married before me Marcel." Gemma complained playfully as she stepped back and admired her work.

"I'm sure Brian will propose soon." Marcel said closing his eyes as Anne sprayed hairspray on the quiff that kept his curls off his forehead. 

Anne smiled over at Gemma and stood back to admire her son. 

"I can't believe you're getting married today." Anne said setting the hairspray down.

"Me either." Marcel giggled looking over at her and then to the mirror. "I'm excited and kinda nervous. Have you seen the church yet? Or the ballroom?"

"We've seen both Marce and they're both perfect. You and Lou are going to love it!" Gemma smiled reaching over to hug him from behind.

There was a knock at the door and Anne hurried over to answer it. Jessica came bounding in all smiles with Niall right behind her. Marcel didn't doubt that by 21 Niall would propose.

"Hello hello hello!" Jessica exclaimed happily. "Oh my gosh Marcel you look amazing!"

"Thanks Jess." Marcel replied standing up to hug his best friend. 

"Are you ready mate? It's almost time!" Niall, who was his groomsmen, said clapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm definitely ready." Marcel responded nodding his head and smiling.

He had asked Niall to be his groomsman as soon as he and Louis had returned from celebrating their two year anniversary in Greece. At the same time he had asked Liam to be his best man and both of them had been more than happy to accept the positions. 

"Liam's waiting outside, he was talking to Sophia but she just went over to the church." Niall said looking over Marcel and making sure he was perfect.

"Niall, dear, I've already made sure everything is in place." Anne patted him on the shoulder.

"Right. Sorry just want it all to be perfect. They're my best mates!" Niall laughed with the others.

"Hate to see you on your wedding day." Gemma teased and both Niall and Jessica blushed.

Anne looked down at her watch and then back up at Marcel with an excited smile, "It's time!"

Marcel took a deep breath and with a final hug from everybody they made their way out of the hotel room. They all piled into the limo and took the short 10 minute drive to the church where guests were waiting patiently for the arrival of the other groom.

*~*

Louis stood at the alter, his hands clasped loosely in front of him. Zayn stood next to him as his best man while Josh stood beside Zayn as his groomsman. Liam and Niall stood on the other side of the alter in their spots. As his mother had said, the church was decorated beautifully. There was a small bouquet of white and purple flowers at the end of each row of seating with pale blue and green ribbons falling from them. 

The music began to play and Louis' heart pounded in his chest. The doors opened revealing Marcel and Anne and Louis felt the air leave his lungs. He stared at the gorgeous boy walking down the isle with a shy smile and he felt like he was falling in love all over again.

Smiling brightly, Louis stepped forward and held out his hand. Anne kissed Marcel's cheek, whispered that she loved him, and placed his hand into Louis'. She took her seat between Robin and Gemma, already in tears. 

The priest turned to face Louis and smiled at him kindly. requesting that Louis and Marcel hold hands.

"Do you, Louis William Tomlinson, take Marcel Edward Styles to be your husband, to love him, honor, and keep him, in sickness or in health and to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?" The priest questioned.

"I do." Louis smiled brightly at Marcel.

"And do you, Marcel Edward Styles, take Louis William Tomlinson to be your husband, to love him, honor, and keep him, in sickness or in health and to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?" The priest asked turning to Marcel.

"I do." Marcel answered grinning happily at Louis.

The priest said his parts and then they were saying their vows; having written their own instead of going with the traditional starting with Louis.

"Marcel, when I first met you I couldn't see past your nerdy look, but then we got paired together for an assignment. As time went on my heart began to beat faster whenever we were together and I came to the realization that I was falling for you. I never, nor will I ever, regret falling in love with you. You made me a better person. I love you and I've loved every moment spent with you. I promise to cherish you always and I can't wait to start forever with you." Louis stated, his voice wavering a little as he spoke looking into Marcel's shining green eyes.

Marcel teared up as Louis spoke and once he was done he cleared his throat and spoke his own.

"Louis, when we first met I thought you were just this tough popular lad. Once we got paired together for our school assignment, I began to realize there was more to you than that. Over the years I have come to see what a kind, caring, and loving person you truly are and how big your heart is. I never thought that we would end up together but I'm beyond happy that we did. I could never love another person as much as I love you. I too promise to cherish you always and I cannot wait to start our forever." Marcel said and a single tear escaped Louis' eye and rolled down his cheek as he willed himself not to start crying.

The priest smiled at them both and motioned for Louis to put Marcel's wedding ring on his finger. Louis, with shaky hands, took the silved band from Zayn and slid it onto Marcel's ring finger and held it there.

"Repeat after me..." The priest stated looking at Louis again he spoke again and Louis repeated...

"I, Louis Tomlinson, give to you, Marcel Styles, this ring as a symbol of my love, honor, and commitment to you. With this ring, I thee wed." Louis stated clearly trying to keep his voice from cracking as his eyes filled with tears and he stared into Marcel's loving green eyes.

Marcel had tears rolling down his cheeks as he slipped Louis' wedding band onto his finger and held it there. He listened to what the priest said and then repeated him...

"I, Marcel Styles, give to you, Louis Tomlinson, this ring as a symbol of my love, honor, and commitment to you. With this ring, I thee wed." Marcel almost whispered the last part as his emotions began to get the best of him. 

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband!" The priest declared. "You may now kiss your groom."

Louis, with now wet cheeks, cupped Marcel's face in his hands and brought their lips together in a tender kiss filled with love. When they pulled away everyone was standing and clapping, cheering and crying. 

"May I introduce to you, for the very first time, Mr. and Mr. Louis Tomlinson!" The priest exclaimed and everyone cheered as Marcel and Louis made their way down the center isle, hand in hand.

They waited in their limo while all the guests moved from the church to the hotel for the reception. Once everyone was gone the limo driver took them to the hotel. Marcel and Louis walked up to the ballroom where their reception was taking place and were greeted by David. They greeted him with happy and thankful smiles.

"The decorations in the church were incredible, thank you so much for doing it." Louis said shaking the older man's hand.

"It was a pleasure." David replied shaking both their hands. "Are you ready to see the ballroom?"

They nodded excitedly and could hear the DJ on the other side of the door announcing them. The double doors opened and they walked in together. The large room was bathed in blue lights with purple, blue, and clear fiberoptic lights hanging from the ceiling. The tables were dressed in white with bouquets of puple and white flowers with thin pastel green ribbons wrapped up the vases. The dance floor changed colors, currently looking like the night sky with millions of stars. 

"It's perfect." Marcel said to David once everything calmed down. "Thank you."

Both of them gave the professional a hug and then took their places at the wedding party table. Soon the DJ asked for Marcel and Anne to come onto the dancefloor for the first dance. Anne had watery eyes as the song began to play for them to dance to. Soon the song ended and Louis was standing there. He pulled Marcel into his arms and smiled happily at his husband. Can't Stop Love by Darin began to play and they moved around the dancefloor lost in each other.

At the end of the reception, the guests lined up outside the hotel. Louis and Marcel walked out with their arms linked together and hurried through the two lines of people tossing bird seed at them. They slipped into the limo and Marcel immediately cuddled up against Louis; the two of them exchanging sweet kisses as the limo pulled away. They were headed to the airport to catch their flight to Male in the the Maldives where they would get on an air taxi and take it to Fesdu Island.

Marcel snuggled his face into Louis' neck and sighed happily. Louis slipped one arm around Marcel and laced his other with the one Marcel had resting on his leg. He ran his finger over the wedding band sitting proud on Marcel's finger.

"Can't believe we're married." Louis whispered into Marcel's sweet curls.

"Me either." Marcel replied laughing softly as he stared at their hands.

"I love you." Louis smiled kissing the top of his head.

"I love you too." Marcel said, his lips brushing Louis' neck.

Louis' smile grew and his heart warmed at Marcel's words. No matter how many times he heard those words they would never get old and they would always have the same affect on him. 

As they boarded their flight to the Maldives, Louis couldn't wait for them to land and get to the W Retreat and Spa. He was eager to spend their first night together as a married couple in the romantic setting. The island was small and their villa was the furthest from the shore. There was a large king size bed facing doors that opened up with a perfect view of the water surrounding them. They had one of the few villa's with a private pool, the perfect spot to look out at the ocean and enjoy a glass of wine.

They had slept the entire 15 hour flight so when they reached the island they were awake and ready to spend the day together. After a day of snorkling and kayaking they went to the islands seafood restaurant and sat outside underneath the stars for dinner. When they returned to their villa, they stripped off their clothes and slipped into the master shower that had a glass bottom; beneath them dark blue water. 

Feeling only mildly tired they pulled on joggers and t-shirts before settling on the round couch on the deck. The lights of the pool and on the villa cast a soft glow around them. They lay on the large sofa for a while, cuddled in each others arms, sharing lazy kisses and whispering to each other. Eventually Louis stood up and connected his iPod to the dock inside. He walked back out and pulled Marcel up and wrapped his arms around his neck as the music began to play. Marcel sighed happily and rested his head against Louis' as he wrapped his own arms around Louis' slender waist.

**Every time our eyes meet**

**This feeling inside me**

**Is almost more than I can take**

**Baby when you touch me**

**I can feel how much you love me**

**And it just blows me away**

**I've never been this close to anyone or anything**

**I can hear your thoughts**

**I can see your dreams**

 

**I don't know how you do what you do**

**I'm so in love with you**

**And it just keeps getting better**

**I wanna spend the rest of my life**

**With you by my side, forever and ever**

**Every little thing that you do**

**Baby I'm amazed by you**

 

**The smell of your skin**

**The taste of your kiss**

**The way you whisper in the dark**

**Your love all around me**

**Baby you surround me**

**You touch every place in my heart**

**Oh it feels like the first time every time**

**I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes**

Marcel and Louis held each other close as the song continued to play. They swayed back and forth, turning in slow circles. When the song finished the world fell silent except the quiet sound of the waves hitting the shore of the island. Louis tip toed just slightly and with his arms still around Marcel's neck he kissed him soundly. 

When he pulled away he took Marcel's hands and pulled him in the direction of the king size bed. Louis tugged Marcel's t-shirt off, letting it drop to the floor, before his own joined. With their lips reattached he pushed Marcel's pants and boxers off his hips and they pooled at his feet on the floor. With his own quickly joining, Louis backed Marcel up until his legs hit the bed then pushed him down gently. 

Once Louis had Marcel prepped, he entered him slowly with their lips attached in a tender kiss. He rocked into him slow and steady, putting all his love into every smooth thrust. Louis cupped Marcel's jaw in one hand as the other snaked under him and pulled back just enough so that he could look him in the eyes. 

Marcel's green eyes sparkled with tears. He could feel how much love Louis was putting into this. His lips parted as a soft moan escaped him and he let himself go, melting into Louis and letting him love him. 

"I love you." Marcel whispered between his soft gasps.

"I love you too baby." Louis replied rocking into him a little harder.

Those three little words brought both of them to their climaxes. They lay together, wrapped in each others arms, just breathing for a while. 

"Where do you think we should live after university?" Louis questioned tipping his head up from it's place on Marcel's chest, his finger mindlessly tracing the butterfly tattoo on his stomach.

"Hmm, I don't know. London maybe? Or maybe somewhere outside of London, in a small town." Marcel replied running his fingers through Louis' feathery hair.

"I like the idea of living in a small town. The question is which one.." Louis chuckled, his hot breath cascading over Marcel's bare skin.

Marcel chuckled and shifted lower in the bed, tangling their legs together and wrapping his arm around Louis. He gently pushed Louis onto his back and hovered over him.

He nuzzled his nose against Louis' and smiled, "It doesn't matter. As long as I'm with you with you, I'll be happy."

Louis let out a bubble of laughter and curled and arm around Marcel's neck, pulling him in to start the second round of the night, "You're such a sap."

"Maybe, but you love me." Marcel replied cheekily.

"Mmm that I do. You love me too right?" Louis grinned teasingly.

"Always." Marcel replied and dipped down to seal their lips together.

The kiss was deep and full of promise. Their lips in perfect sync with each other as always. Marcel didn't disconnect their lips as he prepped Louis and positioned himself over him. Louis pulled back from the kiss for a moment and brushed his hand through Marcel's curls.

"Who would've thought..." He whispered looking into Marcel's eyes fondly.

Marcel grinned, showing off his dimples, and before he entered his husband and sealed their lips back together he whispered his reply..

"The Jock and The Nerd..."

 


End file.
